A Different Direction
by ArmAndLeg
Summary: The future is only one out of many outcomes. This time, things happen a little differently. There's a friend there, to help Danny out with his tragedy. But is she enough to prevent Danny from becoming evil, or will she seal his fate? TUE Spoilers inside
1. Despair

AN: This is my first DP fanfic on FFN. It is currently in the process of being written, right now I have four chapters completed, and the fifth one is almost finished. I will probably be updating about once a week, maybe once every two weeks. We'll see how my schedule pans out; I'm a rather busy individual with school work, Marching Band, and a personal life. Surely you all understand.

**WARNINGS**: DEPICTIONS OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE, angst, some mild-to-foul language (as the characters get older), SPOILERS FOR "THE ULTIMATE ENEMY." I repeat: SPOILERS FOR "THE ULTIMATE ENEMY." I am not just writing the story that happened in those ten years, though at first, it will seem very similar.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny, any of his family, his friends, nor do I own Vlad Plasmius. I just like playing with them.

A Different Direction  
Chapter One:  
"Despair"

Danny watched in horror as the Nasty Burger Secret Sauce exploded. Some of it landed on him, burning his skin, but he didn't feel anything. His friends--his _family_--gone. He was never going to see any of them ever again. Slowly, he pulled himself off the ground, walking towards the mess left behind by the explosion. He prayed that he had imagined it all--that maybe his family had somehow managed to survive.

What he saw, though, told him otherwise. Sam, Tucker, Jack, Maddie, Jazz, and Mr. Lancer were strewn about, blood everywhere amongst the sauce, some parts missing from their bodies; burns everywhere on exposed skin. Danny collapsed, tears rolling down his face, silent as he stared at the wreckage of the Nasty Burger. He couldn't make it on time. He couldn't stop the vats of sauce from exploding.

Everyone he ever cared about, gone. A spike of hope pushed up through his sadness, forcing Danny to stand. He moved towards the closest body, soon recognizing it to be his sister's. He bent down, holding her wrist, checking her pulse. A voice in the back of his mind told him that this was pointless--none of them could have possibly survived. But still he checked, his face becoming more and more grave as he moved towards the other bodies.

The one body with a slight pulse was Sam's. By this time, Danny's tears had stopped, his mouth set in a line. Everyone before Sam was already dead. But, just as Danny put her wrist down, her slight breathing had stopped. None of them survived. Slowly, Danny stood up again, pulling out his cellphone. He dialed 911 and waited, standing amongst the bodies, trying to numb himself of the pain caused by the sudden loss.

He had to identify the bodies for the police, holding off tears as he did so. When they asked about Sam and Tucker's parents and families, Danny couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't keep the tears from falling; there was no way for him to stop them. They only died because they were stalling his parents and Lancer--because of him cheating on the CAT's, his family died. All of this because of a stupid test...a stupid achievement test that meant nothing now that they were gone.

The police moved Danny away from the scene, leading him away from his loved ones' charred bodies. Danny came to the numb realization that he was now entirely alone. He had no one left. No one. There would be no one to help him through school, or through his fights against future ghosts. No one to come home to. Would he even be able to stay at home? Where would he go? Who would support him?

The policeman on his right placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. Softly, he whispered, "We'll take care of it, don't you worry. Everything will be okay."

Danny only looked up at him, tears building up in his eyes. The energy to scream nothing would be alright left him. He only managed to whisper, "Yeah...sure," to the man, blinking away his tears.

"Do you have any relatives that are in the immediate area, son?" the other cop asked, turning to Danny.

Danny choked upon hearing the word "son." Jack was never going to be around anymore to call him that as he blathered on about ghosts. The cop, realizing that he said something wrong, turned back around and waited for Danny to be ready to answer. "S-Sorry," Danny whispered, looking up at the cop. "That's what my dad calls--called me."

The cop nodded, and the other one's grip on Danny's shoulder tightened, calming Danny down some. He forced himself to think of any family he had, mentally going through them all. "No," he finally whispered, "I don't have anyone..."

The cops both shook their heads, both of them leaving Danny to his own thoughts. Danny stepped into the police car, sitting down and leaning his head against the back of the seat. He was so tired...if only he could fall asleep.

"Where do you live, kid?" said the cop who had had his hand on Danny's shoulder.

Danny told him in a quiet voice, dreading walking into the empty house. Once he was dropped off at home, Danny thanked the cops before walking heavily up the stairs. He was surprised that the lights were on. His parents must have been in a hurry that afternoon to meet Lancer. Jazz's book bag was even placed on the couch; it still hadn't made it to her room. Lancer wanting to talk to his parents much have really concerned her.

Danny, feeling it would bring him a sense of normalcy, picked up Jazz's book bag and headed up the stairs, intending to go into her room and place her book bag there. That's what Jazz would have done and probably would have ordered Danny to do, if she was home, still alive. Biting his lip, Danny approached Jazz's door, his hand inches above the doorknob. He couldn't open the door. It was Jazz's room--she wouldn't want him to go in there if she wasn't there. Now the room seemed even more sacred; more untouchable. Unsure as to what he should do, Danny put Jazz's book bag down in front of the door, leaving it there.

Slowly Danny walked to his room, his feet dragging along the carpet. The house was so silent now, without the sounds of his parents working diligently in the basement on some new, weird invention. He never got to tell any of them that he was half ghost. Sighing, Danny collapsed onto his bed, tears starting to fill his eyes once more. Blinking them away, Danny attempted to fall asleep, managing to only after he exhausted himself thoroughly.

When Danny woke up again, it was because of his ghost sense. He groaned, rolling over on his bed, looking up at the dark ceiling. He didn't even bother to say his "battle cry" as he changed into his ghost form. He was so used to the cold feeling in his stomach that it didn't even phase him as he started flying towards where the other ghost may be. He almost went to call Sam and Tucker, but them remembered that they were probably now at the morgue, waiting to be identified by their parents, even though Danny had already done so for the police. His heart sank and he landed on the ground, sitting down at the edge of the sidewalk. They wouldn't ever be able to help him, ever again. What if this ghost was too strong for him to handle? Who would he go to for help? There was no one else who knew of his secret; no one else who was even remotely interested in him.

Shoulders slumped, Danny looked up to find the ghost standing right there in front of him. Danny glared at him half-heartedly before looking down at the gutter. "Go away," he hissed, glaring at the ground.

"Why, Daniel, is that how you greet an old friend?" Plasmius asked, smirking to himself.

"You're not my friend," Danny responded softly, still staring at the ground before getting up, floating in the air. He avoided Plasmius's eyes, turning away from him. "Leave me alone."

As Danny started to fly off, he could feel Plasmius's presence behind him, causing Danny to growl in frustration. "Go _away_ Plasmius! I don't have the energy to deal with you!" he shouted back at him, sending an ectoplasmic beam at him. Unfortunately, that only made Plasmius only more determined to follow him.

"What's wrong, Daniel? Realized you're too _weak_ to defeat me?" Plasmius quipped, flying ahead of Danny, blocking his path with multiple Plasmiuses. "After all this time, are you really just going to run away and let me do what I want?"

Danny growled low in his throat. He stopped in mid air, glaring at his arch nemesis so darkly Plasmius stopped smirking and simply stared at Danny. "Stay the hell away from me!" Danny shouted, shocked to find Plasmius being pushed backward at a rapid pace. Danny felt his power drain considerably, and he panted, out of breath.

"What an interesting new power..." Plasmius muttered as he flew back over to where Danny was, phased by the unintentional attack. "Tell me, Daniel, how did you learn to do that?"

Danny remained silent, shocked himself at the new power, but also more exhausted than he was before. "I--don't know," he whispered, shaking his head, still slightly out of breath. "It doesn't matter, Plasmius! What do you want from me?"

"I just wanted to talk, Daniel. About your becoming my apprentice. You're a fast learner, you know. You could be very useful to me," Plasmius stated, smiling serenely at Danny. "Of course, you already knew that."

"And you know that I don't want to! Leave me alone! I'm never going to become your apprentice, Plasmius--so go away and never come back!" With that, Danny flew away rapidly, trying to put as much distance between himself and Plasmius.

Plasmius blinked at Danny's second outburst before following the boy at a distance. His eyebrows were furrowed as he studied Danny's flight pattern; Danny seemed to be flying a bit erratically. "Something must be bothering the boy..." he whispered to himself, continuing to study his soon-to-be-apprentice. Danny led him back to the Fenton home, and Danny slipped into his room before changing back into his human form. Plasmius, not wanting to be sensed, changed back into his human for as well, and remained on the sidewalk.

As he was about to walk up to the door and knock on it, Plasmius, now Vlad, noticed the figure of a girl walking down the street.

"Mr. Masters? Is that you?"

Vlad blinked, smiling at the girl once he realized who she was. "Ah! Miss Grey. What brings you here at this late hour?" he asked, trying to sound cheery.

Valerie looked up at Vlad, sadness written all over her face. "I came here to talk to Danny. He's going through a really hard time right now," she whispered, looking up at the Fenton home.

Vlad blinked again before forcing himself to look fully concerned. "Oh, really? I didn't know that..."

"You live out in Wisconsin, right?" Valerie asked.

Nodding, Vlad responded, "I've been traveling to visit the Fentons. I haven't heard of anything unusual."

"His family died," Valerie whispered, tearing up herself. "I--when I found out I didn't want to leave him alone."

Vlad's eyes widened at the news. "His parents...? And his sister?" he asked. Vlad nodded himself, muttering, "I see... That explains his behavior..." He spoke up, "The poor boy. He must be very upset."

"And that's not all," Valerie muttered, sighing. "His two best friends died in the accident, too."

Vlad shook his head. "How did it happen? They all seemed perfectly healthy--how could they all die like that?"

"The Nasty Burger exploded while all of them were standing in front of the building," Valerie explained, frowning. "The manager of the Nasty Burger wasn't lying when he said the sauce would explode if it overheated."

"So he's completely alone," Vlad muttered, sighing. "I guess I will go back to my hotel, then. Don't tell Danny that I've been here, okay?"

Valerie nodded, walking up the stairs to the Fenton house. Vlad walked away until he was out of sight, and changed back into his ghost form. "So none of his loved ones are alive anymore... This might be good for my plans."

Danny sighed, laying back down on his bed. He'd be concerned about Vlad being there in Amity Park, but he was too tired. Seeing Vlad only reminded Danny of Vlad's twisted love for Maddie, which only served to remind Danny that his family was dead. He felt the tears come again, but Danny shunned the away. He had school tomorrow. There was at least some hope of normalcy in that fact.

The doorbell rang. Groaning, Danny pulled himself out of bed, hoping that it wasn't anyone he didn't want to talk to. Slowly he made his way down the steps, glad that the person was at least being a little patient with him. When he finally opened the door, he stared at Valerie before shaking his head. "What are you doing here?" he asked softly, opening the door all the way. His shoulders tensed up, and he felt his breath get cold.

"I wanted to...well, I wanted to be here for you. Like a friend would," Valerie said softly, looking up from the ground, playing with her fingers. "Can I come in?"

Danny looked stunned before nodding, moving out of the way to let Valerie walk into his home. "I take it you've heard...?"

Valerie nodded, holding her hands clasped in front of her. "I...don't really know what to say. I can't even believe that you're at this house."

"I have no where else to go," Danny responded, shrugging. "It's not like I can go to Sam's or Tucker's house. I don't think their parents would appreciate my being there. It's my fault that they're all--that they're all gone," he said softly, sitting down on the couch, looking at his hands. "It's all my fault, Valerie... They would all still be here if it wasn't for me!"

"Danny, how could it possibly be your fault?" Valerie whispered, looking at him sadly. "It's not your fault, okay?"

"You don't understand, Valerie! It _is_ my fault! If I hadn't cheated on the stupid CAT's, they'd all still be here!" he shouted, getting off the couch and pacing the length of the room. "If I had just listened to Sam and Tucker, none of them would be dead right now!"

Valerie just watched Danny in silence, noticing the tears rolling down his cheeks, how his voice cracked under the guilt. Slowly she got up from the couch and walked over to him, hugging him. Danny tensed up, but soon collapsed onto her shoulder, crying. Valerie, not entirely sure as to what to do, patted his back uncertainly. "Danny, it's okay. YOu didn't know that the Nasty Burger was going to explode."

"But they wouldn't have been there if I didn't cheat," Danny sniffed, still leaning on Valerie's shoulder. "Lancer called them over there to tell them that I cheated."

"Danny, it was no one's fault," Valerie whispered, hugging him again. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only thing I _don't_ get is why Sam and Tucker were there, but you weren't..."

Danny stopped crying, pulled himself off of Valerie's shoulder, and walked away from her. "They were...covering for me. Stalling my parents because I was--busy with something else."

Valerie blinked at that, studying Danny intently. "What were you doing?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"It's not important," Danny whispered. "I won't ever be doing that again. If I had been there, I'd at least be with them, right now."

The color drained from Valerie's face, and she walked over to Danny, placing a hand on his shoulder; she felt his shoulder tense under her touch. "Danny, don't tell me that you're thinking you'd rather be dead."

Danny turned around to face her, his eyes filled with guilt. "If I had been there, I could have saved them--and I would have been the one to die because I cheated. And I would have deserved it," hi hissed, pulling himself out of Valerie's touch. "Yes, they would have lost me, but they would find a way to get over it. They at least would have been able to live."

Remaining silent, Valerie sat back down on Danny's couch, watching him. Suddenly, her ghost-alarm went off, causing her to jump. "I'm sorry, Danny, but I really gotta go," she said hurriedly, straightening quickly and grabbing her book bag. "I have to run to my other job..."

Danny stopped her. "It's just another ghost escaping through our ghost portal," he muttered. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it after you leave."

Valerie narrowed her eyes at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "How do you know about that?" she asked, her hands on her hips again.

"Remember when you were out hunting the ghost kid and you found me and Sam? We both figured it was you by your voice," Danny explained quickly. Suddenly he looked very tired, his eyes dark and hallow. His voice was empty of emotion.

"You--really liked her, huh?" Valerie asked, putting down her book bag and sitting back down on the couch.

"She was my best friend since were were like, three years old. Same with me and Tucker. The only two people who ever gave a damn about me besides my family are gone! I'll never be able to tell them how important they are to me...and Sam will never know how I felt..." Danny sighed, closing his eyes.

"What does that make me, then?" Valerie asked, her voice rising. "I care about you, too, Danny! I wouldn't be here, losing sleep, if I didn't."

"I-I didn't mean it like that, Valerie!" Danny cried, covering his face with his hand. "I just--for a while we really hated each other and it's a little hard to forget that you've changed."

Valerie nodded, the anger ebbing away from her face. "What are you going to do now that they're all gone? You can't live here by yourself; you're only fourteen."

"I don't know, and right now, I don't really want to think about it," he whispered. "There's just so much that needs to be dealt with, and I don't know how and I don't have anyone to guide me."

Valerie nodded. "If only you had a place to go..."

"It's not like I can stay at your place. You wouldn't want the boy whose family cost your dad his job to live with you, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked, blinking.

"That ghost dog that you thought belonged to the ghost boy? It escaped through the Fenton Portal. If my parents hadn't invented it, that whole incident wouldn't have happened and you wouldn't hate ghosts so much."

Something bothered Valerie about how Danny said all of that. He sounded guilty, like it had been his fault that the ghost dog and the ghost boy destroyed her father's life. And how did he know all of that? Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, she asked, "So...are you going to be alright by yourself? My dad won't be home until after school starts tomorrow morning. I could stay here and give you company..."

Danny smiled softly at her before heading towards the kitchen. "I guess you can, if you want. It's not like I can go to my parents and have them kick you out."

"Do you think you'll be okay with it?" Valerie asked. "I can sleep right here on the couch, if you want."

"I'll be fine knowing that I have a ghost hunter in the house. You may not be my parents, but at least you're a ghost hunter," Danny responded, sitting down on the couch. He reached over and hugged Valerie briefly, whispering, "Things won't be so bad as long as I have _someone_ to talk to. Thanks, Valerie."

"You're welcome, Danny," Valerie whispered, awkwardly hugging him back, blushing slightly.

And that's it! Chapter one, completed. Well? What did you think? Am I horrible, good, okay? Let me know, so I can know what to approve upon next time. It is my first Danny Phantom fanfic and my first series-fic in a long, long time. I'm a little rusty. ;


	2. Bad Morning

AN: I'm back with chapter two! Sorry for the delay--marching band and real life stuff got in the way, and hopefully I won't have an assload of homework to do next week like I did last week. But enough of all that! You came here to read something!

A Different Direction  
Chapter Two:  
"Bad Morning"

Valerie woke up the next morning, laying down on an unfamiliar surface and looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. At first she panicked, thinking maybe that Skulker had taken her captive again, but she soon realized she was still in the real world, and that she was sleeping on a lumpy couch. She had just spent the night at the Fenton House, and had slept on Danny's couch.

She tried to remember what it was she was there for, but her lack of sleep caused her to have a hard time remembering. Once she saw the note on the paper placed haphazardly on the table in front of the couch, she remembered that she was there to help Danny in his time of need. Last night he seemed to be doing alright; such behavior, she supposed, was reasonable. Crying one moment and then calm the next. At least Danny didn't seem too depressed at the time. Maybe the reality hadn't fully set in...

She meant to ask him last night, if he had seen their bodies. The police seemed to imply that Danny arrived at the scene moments after the accident had occurred, and that he had identified all of the bodies. What if he was traumatized for life? He could be stuck with the memory for the rest of his life; stuck with the image of their mangled bodies in his mind forever. Valerie couldn't fathom how anyone could deal with that.

Moving slightly on the couch, Valerie reached over to grab the note. It read, in Danny's scribbled handwriting, "Taking a walk. Will meet you at school." Valerie sighed. She had hoped that they would have been able to talk some more before they left for school. She put the note back down, stretching before sitting down on the couch. She should get ready for school if she wanted to get there on time, today.

As she was getting ready, she took the opportunity to take a look around Danny's house, searching it for any sign of weird activity. She hoped in the back of her mind that Danny had taken care of the ghost last night, or sometime earlier that morning. She really didn't feel like starting her day as a ghost hunter. Besides, it was Danny's house. She didn't want to damage it.

Something else was bothering her, but she wasn't too sure what it was. She shrugged it off, changing into her clothes for the day after taking her shower. Hopefully Danny wouldn't come home until she was completely dressed. She has a feeling he would be coming back. She noticed a book bag sitting outside of a bedroom she wasn't sure if it was Danny's room, but she hoped that Danny didn't forget his own book bag.

Sighing, Valerie grabbed her book bag and left the front door unlocked, just in case Danny came back. She didn't know if he brought the key with him or not.

* * *

Danny sighed, switching his book bag onto his other shoulder. The guilt was eating his soul and spitting out in one giant, jumbled mess. He needed to get away from Valerie. He wasn't sure if he was using Valerie as an escape or not, but he didn't want her to get hurt in anyway. He had already hurt her enough when he unintentionally ruined her life. He wasn't about to dump all his baggage on her; she was too young for that. 

Last night, Danny didn't fall asleep after he and Valerie went to bed. He couldn't. He found himself watching her sleep last night after taking care of the small-fry ghost that came through the portal Valerie's equipment had sensed as they were talking. She seemed so peaceful laying there. He couldn't ruin that. He wouldn't let her get close enough to get hurt, just as Sam and Tucker did by getting close to him.

Sighing, Danny shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. He hoped more than anything in the world that Vlad wasn't anywhere nearby. He didn't have the patience to deal with that.

Of course, as soon as he thought that, his ghost sense went off. Groaning, Danny quickly found out a place to phase into his ghost form, but he never got the chance. He was grabbed by Vlad's ghost lackies and, since he was in plain view of everyone on the street, Danny just tried to shake himself free. "Let me go!" he hissed, forcing his arm to turn intangible. If he had made it so that it wasn't obvious, he could get free.

"Stop squirming, Daniel. I just want to talk to you without anyone overhearing."

"Let me go!" Danny cried, making both of his arms intangible, slipping through the grip of Vlad's lackies. Vlad caught him, squeezing him so Danny couldn't breathe.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way," Vlad whispered in Danny's ear. "Your little friend gave me some information that I need you to confirm for me."

Danny's eyes widened and he stopped struggling, trying to breathe despite the pressure Vlad was putting oh his lungs. "Let me go!"

"Not until I get some answers, Daniel. You don't want me to disturb your little friend Valerie, correct?" Vlad asked. "Now, what happened to your family, Daniel?"

"They died," he gasped, feeling his lungs strain against his ribs. "Nasty Burger exploded."

"Really?" Vlad paused. "Were you there when it happened?"

"I got there--just as the explosion happened. I couldn't--save them," Danny hissed.

"Now what about your friends?" Vlad continued, his grip loosening a bit. "Why were they killed?"

"They were covering for me" Danny whispered. "They distracted my parents and Lancer so I could finish--fighting a ghost."

"And why were they all there? Why the Nasty Burger."

"Why the hell do you want to know?" Danny growled, struggling against Vlad's grip once more. He knew that if Vlad was in his ghost form, there was no way he could break from with his own powers.

"Oh. Touchy subject for you, little badger?" Vlad increased his grip. "Could it be that it was your fault that they were all there in the first place?"

"Let me go!" Danny shouted, breaking free from Vlad's grip, pulling away from him completely. "It's none of your business, Plasmius! Leave me alone!" Danny transformed, flying off as fast as he could.

"Going so soon, Daniel? I'm not done speaking with you," Vlad said, smirking as his replicas surrounded Danny, blocking his path. "Was it really _ your fault_ that they all died?"

Danny growled deep in his throat, trying to find a way to escape. He felt his eyes sting. Frustration and the pain of the truth were getting to him--if only he could get away--there had to be a way to escape...

"How could goody-two-shoes Danny Fenton cause the death of his best friends and family? Aren't you the one who wants to protect the world from the evils of the ghost world? You couldn't even protect _your own family_! You couldn't even protect your friends. What kind of hero are you if you can't even protect those that mean the most to you?" Vlad asked, his smirk still ever present on his face.

Danny knew he was crying, but he ignored the feel of the tears on his cheeks, glaring with all his energy that he had left at Vlad. He wasn't going to let Vlad get to him. He was better than that...he was a better hero than Vlad was making out to be. He could protect others...

"If you can't even protect your own family and friends..." Vlad shook his head. "Maybe you weren't cut out to be a super hero, after all, Daniel. Join me and I can make sure that you'll never feel the pain of their loss again."

"I'll never join you," Danny shouted, wiping away his tears. "You'll never replace my family! How can you be so happy, Plasmius? My mother's dead! You can never have her, now!" Danny hoped that this would have the effect on Vlad he wanted, but when Danny saw Vlad's grin get bigger, Danny's heart sank.

"Your mother must have had some unfinished business, Daniel. She left you behind without fully raising you; she must have had something else she was working towards, some sort of goal. She's probably in the ghost zone now, separated from the family ties she had grown accustomed to. I have no doubt that she will be back, and when she comes back, I'll make her fall in love with me, then."

"She'll never love you, even if she did come back as a ghost! She loves my father too much," Danny hissed, still searching for a way out. "Can I go now? I answered your questions..." he couldn't stopped the tears. Vlad was just reminding him too much of everything.

"You still didn't answer one question. How was it _your_ fault that they were killed in that unfortunate explosion?"

Danny's tears stopped, his mouth set in a thin line. A small voice at the back of his mind told him that he needed to get to school. Sighing, he floated back down to the ground. "I--I cheated--"

Danny didn't get to finish his sentence. A bright pink beam exploded dangerously near him and Vlad. "Valerie!" Danny whispered, using Vlad's confusion and shock to get away from him. "That you so much, Valerie..." Danny found a place hidden from view and transformed back. He ran towards the direction of the school, but went on a round about way to catch a bit of the fight between Valerie and Vlad. He hoped that she was giving him one hell of a fight. It was even better that she didn't even give them any warning.

As soon as Danny walked over to the school, he noticed Valerie was flying over the school towards the back of it. Hopefully the bell hadn't run yet. Danny began running towards the steps, hurrying to his first period class. He got lucky, for once. The bell rang after he sat down in his seat. Valerie straggled in a few seconds after he sat down, sitting down next to him.

The announcements soon began, and by that time both Danny and Valerie had caught their breath. The class was unusually quiet during the announcements, but the school seemed to stop at a standstill when one particular announcement came on.

"Will you all please give a moment of silence. Yesterday three students and one teacher of Casper High School died in an accident at the Nasty Burger. Samantha Manson, Tucker Fooley, Jasmine Fenton, and Mr. Lancer are no longer with us," the principal said solemnly. Danny could feel everyone's eyes on him. If they only knew the half of it... "Also, let us remember Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, who also passed away last night at the accident."

Now everyone was beginning to whisper amongst themselves, some of them looking at Danny with pity or sympathy. Some of them were whispering taunts about how Danny was too weird to have a family--that his family was too weird and probably caused their deaths themselves. Danny shrunk in his desk, laying his head on the desk and covering his head with his arms. He wished everyone would go away. He felt a small hand on his shoulder, but he ignored it.

"Just ignore them, Danny," Valerie whispered, her grip tightening on Danny's shoulder. He just ignored her, pulling his arms even tighter over his head.

"Alright, class, calm down. Settle, okay?" said the social studies teacher. "Let's get started."

Danny sighed as he felt Valerie's hand leave his shoulder. He was already an outcast as it was, but now he was going to be an orphaned outcast. How long before someone starts teasing at him about the loss of his family? How long before Danny snapped at all of them?

He felt his anger boil at the principal for making the announcements; he felt his blood rush through his veins as he felt everyone's eyes boring into his back. He needed to calm down. He needed to go somewhere else, far away from here. These people--none of them cared about him. None of them would give a damn if he just got up and left Amity park and never came back. It's not like he was doing a good job at fighting off the ghosts. It's not like he was any good at being a super hero! Vlad was right--he was a lousy super hero if he couldn't even protect his own family and friends.

Anger built up inside him, but Danny ignored the pressure pushing on his insides. He wouldn't act on it. There would be a ghost soon enough that would cross his path, and he would be able to take his anger out on it. He just hoped it was sometime soon. He could feel everyone's eyes on him; not a pencil was moving as the teacher lectured; everyone was too busy studying Danny like he was some sort of lab rat.

He wasn't just a lab rat--he wasn't any different now! He just lost his family and everyone else that he cared about. But he was still the same person. He was still Danny Fenton, the boy everyone loved to pick on. He was only going to get teased worse by his tormentors now, because there was no one who would possibly stand up for him. Picking his head off the desk, he glanced at Paulina. She looked away from him, looking disgusted. His heart sank deep in his chest and his anger subsided. Even Paulina thought he was even more worthless, now.

Sighing again, Danny forced himself to pay attention and he picked up his pencil and he began to write notes. He was the only one besides Valerie that was actually paying attention. Without Sam here to copy notes off of, he was going to have write notes himself. Soon enough class was over, and Danny suddenly felt tired. Vaguely he remembered that he hadn't slept any the night before. The bell rang and he began packing up his book bag. He felt someone touch his shoulder, and he found it was his teacher.

"Danny, can you stay after for a few minutes?" she asked him.

Sighing, Danny nodded as he zipped up his book bag and put his book bag on his back. Valerie walked past him, dropping something as she walked past him. Thinking it might have been important, Danny picked up the folded piece of paper and studied it. If it was a note to someone, the receiver's name wasn't anywhere to be seen. Danny pocked it before heading over to the teacher. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes... I wanted to ask if you were mentally capable of being here at the school. You could have stayed home and grieved for your family."

Danny nodded before saying, "I didn't want to be at the house by myself. It reminds me too much that they're all gone."

"What about your friends? They died too, didn't they?"

Danny nodded again. "School is a bit normal... It's helping me to be here," he whispered. He didn't really feel like talking, and Danny sensed he portrayed that rather well.

His teacher sighed. "Well, if you ever need to talk to someone about all this, I'm here to help."

'Thank you," Danny said tiredly, walking out of the classroom. The next class was basically the same thing as his last one. Everyone stared at him as he walked in. If he wasn't a freak before, they definitely thought he was now. Groaning to himself, Danny forced himself to pay attention in class. He was so far behind--he needed to catch up. He noticed that Valerie sat next to him again in this class. Usually Sam sat there while Tucker was with Mr. Lancer this period.

Danny shook his head. He didn't need to think about all of that ever again. If he was going to find a way to move on, he'd have to force himself to forget. Once he forgot, he could go back to being his normal, happy self. Content with the idea of forgetting, Danny paid even more attention to his teacher's lecture. He was so busy with taking notes he didn't hear anything that was being said behind him.

Someone obviously wanted Danny to hear him. Danny only turned around once he was pegged at the back of the neck with a paper-ball. "Hey Fenton!" a voice called behind him. "I heard you were bawling like a baby when you came into school today! What's wrong, you have no more Mommy and Daddy to protect your scrawny behind anymore?"

Danny gritted his teeth, but tried to remain calm. It was only Dash. Dash was playing his usual games. What Dash said didn't matter--Danny had never liked him, anyway.

"Hey Fenton!" There was that grating voice again. Danny resisted the urge to throw something back at Dash as the eraser end of a pencil hit Danny at the back of his head. "Where are your dorky friends? Oh yeah! That's right--they're dead! I even heard it was your fault. Is that true?"

Danny's pencil snapped in half. Closing his eyes, Danny forced himself to breathe deeply, and to focus on the lecture. Dash wasn't relenting, however. He kept talking to everyone around him, talking just loud enough so Danny could hear him. The period would be over soon, and Danny could get away. The teacher just droned on and on, noticing very little of her class's doings. More and more things came flying at Danny, as Dash was more and more determined to get Danny to react.

"Why don't you shut up, Dash!" Valerie shouted suddenly, and the class was instantly quieted. "I'd like to see how you'd be if your whole family died in front of your eyes, and there was nothing you could do about it!"

"Miss Gray, that's quite enough," the teacher said sternly. "If you interrupt my class one more time, I'll send you to detention."

"Miss, she was standing up for me! You can't punish her because she was trying to get Dash to leave me a lone and stop making fun of me," Danny said strongly, rubbing the back of his neck, which was starting to hurt from all the abuse.

"Fenton! You stay quiet. This is none of your business," the teacher hissed. "If you want detention as well, Mr. Fenton, it can be arranged."

"They were teasing his, Mrs. Fleetwood! His _family_ died!" Valerie cried, standing up from her desk. "Have some sympathy!"

"Valerie, sit down," Danny hissed to her, glancing at Mrs. Fleetwood. "You can't get detention!"

"Danny--you have to stand up and fight for yourself!" Valerie hissed back. "And if you won't stand up for yourself, I'll stand up for you! This is absurd, how Dash is treating you! He should be a bit nicer to you!"

"News flash, Valerie! No one cares about me. The only ones who did died in that accident and they are never coming back! If I'm alone in this world, then so be it! I don't need you to stand up for me!"

"Miss Gray, Mr. Fenton! Stop arguing this instant or I'll suspend you both. Now, after school today I expect to see the two of you in my classroom. No excuses."

Danny and Valerie stopped bickering instantly, both of them sitting back down in their respective seats, embarrassed. Danny glanced over at Valerie and noticed that she looked close to tears. Groaning, Danny put his head down on the desk, feeling like his stomach was going to explode. Great, the only person he had left was pissed off at him. How much worse could this day get?

* * *

And that is the end of chapter two! Reviews would be lovely, and constructive criticism would be even lovelier. :wink wink, nudge nudge: 


	3. Secret Revealed

AN: Thanks for your reviews, they made my day. ) I wanted to get this next chapter out as soon as possible, as I do have up to chapter seven hand-written. I'm currently working on chapter eight, but at the moment I'm very busy with several school activities and a social life, so I'm not finding much time to write as of late. Hopefully that will change soon enough. Sorry if this is a bit late. I'm trying my best to update ADD regularly.

Disclaimer: (this will be done every other chapter) I do not own the characters. I am simply borrowing them to explore a possible outcome.

A Different Direction  
Chapter Three:  
"Secret Revealed"

Danny should have known that the day would have gotten much, much worse. Since he had pissed off the only person who stood up for him, he was teased even worse. How could students be so cruel? His _family_ died. No one else seemed to really care. No one but Valerie seemed to understand that this wasn't a good time for him. Even the teachers treated Danny like nothing was different, except for his first period teacher. She seemed to be the only one who understood that he was emotionally unstable.

Danny winced, trying to ignore the crippling pain in his stomach. It was nearing the end of the day, and he knew he would be facing Valerie again soon. His stomach cramped even more at that thought. What was he going to say to her when he saw her? She was right--she was standing up for him and he should have been appreciative of the fact. But he didn't need her to stand up for him. He was Danny Phantom, the ghost boy, the hero of Amity Part--he could take care of himself.

But Danny knew she had only wanted to help. Sighing, Danny put away his notebook, putting his new pencil in his pocket soon afterward. His pencil jammed on something on the way into his pocket, reminding Danny of the note that he still had in his possession. Well, it probably wasn't a note for him, but Valerie had dropped it at his fee. Maybe, if he gave it back to her, she'll be less angry with him. He didn't want to have to go through detention with her holding a grudge against him. He already knew how it felt to be the object of one of her grudges.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day and the beginning of the weekend and the freedom from school for a short two days. Unfortunately for Danny, he had to walk to the other side of the building in order to serve detention. At least he didn't have to come up with some excuse for his parents, he thought bitterly. He got up, still fingering the note in his pocket, wondering if Valerie had noticed she had dropped it.

When he walked into the classroom, he saw that Valerie was already there, but now she looked less upset than she had at lunch. Sighing inaudibly, Danny walked over to her, pulling the note out of his pocket. She didn't notice him until the folded piece of paper was under her nose.

"What's that?" she asked, blinking at the note with her nose crinkled.

"You dropped this after first period this morning," Danny murmured. "I figured you might want this back."

Valerie's eyes widened and she snatched the paper away from Danny, stuffing it into her book bag. "You didn't read it, did you?" she asked, studying him intently.

Danny shook his head, "I forgot I had it until last period. I meant to give it back to you earlier," he said softly, sitting down in the desk next to her. He sighed, looking at his hands, feeling awkward. "Look, Valerie... I'm sorry about earlier. I really shouldn't have cared whether or not you were yelling at Dash. I guess I was... being a little insensitive to how you felt."

Valerie blinked at Danny before leaning back in her desk, smirking at him. "You've been feelin' guilty, huh?"

"Yeah...you looked like you were about to cry," he whispered, managing a small smile back. "Sam would have reamed me if I didn't apologize to you..." Danny's smile fell.

"Danny, it wasn't your fault they died, you know," Valerie said softly, trying to look him in the eye.

Danny only looked away, his eyes focusing on something off in the distance. He didn't really have a response for that. "If I had gotten there sooner, they wouldn't be dead right now. I could have saved them."

"You don't know that, Danny! You probably would have died with them--you're not the kind of person who'd be able to handle that kind of situation," Valerie whispered.

"I'm more of a hero than you think, Valerie," Danny muttered. "But that doesn't matter anymore. They're gone, and there's nothing I can do about it. Let's just forget it, okay?"

"Danny, forgetting about the whole thing isn't going to help you! You know that!" Valerie cried. "You're never going to be truly happy like that."

"It's better than knowing that you could have done something--that if you had done one thing differently, then the whole thing wouldn't have happened. If I had never come across those answers, I wouldn't have cheated. I would have done horrible on the CAT's, but I'd still have my family. I'd rather have my family than good grades."

"Danny... Lancer didn't know how dangerous the Nasty Burger was! No one believed that kid when he said that the sauce would actually explode if it reached a high enough temperature," Valerie responded. "Stop blaming yourself for something that wasn't even your fault."

Danny sat there, not responding. It was his fault, no matter what Valerie said. Nothing would change that. The guilt was never going to go away unless he forced himself to forget. If only his parents had invented something like that. "Hey, where's Miss Fleetwood?" he asked suddenly, hoping to change the subject.

"She said she'd be back soon," Valerie answered, shrugging. "Didn't say where she was going."

Danny nodding, saying, "Well, if she's going to be a while, I'm gonna leave. I don't want to be stuck here much longer than I need to be."

"Danny, don't do that. She'll only--"

"What? Suspend me? I don't care anymore, Valerie. My grades were already in the toilet, my family's gone, I have no best friends--grades aren't that important to me anymore. Not after trying to get good grades killed those I cared about!"

"Danny--think about your record--or your future! How do you expect to get into college if you don't get good grades?"

"News flash, Valerie! I'm an _orphan_--I have no money and I cheated on the test that colleges look at!" Danny cried, lifting his arms in the air. "I can't get a job because my grades need improvement--and without a job or parents I don't have the money I need. Besides, I'm just not smart enough to go to college."

Valerie sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. You want to be stuck in your depression and never graduate high school, you do what you want. I'm not gonna bother with it anymore."

Danny turned away from her, taking the hint and shutting up. He did it again. He went and pissed Valerie off. Groaning to himself, he put his head down on the desk. How could things get any worse?

His breath turned blue, and he felt a sudden chill down his spine. Not now... there can't be a ghost near by now, could there? Lifting his head off the desk, he looked around. Where was the ghost? Valerie's equipment went off next to him, and he looked over at her. "Where do you think it is?" he asked her, trying to calm his nerves.

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out," Valerie whispered, looking around as well. She pulled out a contraption from her book bag, making a sweeping motion around the room. "Nothing. Where could this ghost be?"

Danny's eyes widened. If she moved it towards him, she might figure it out. His parents denied the possibility of him being part ghost, but Valerie would be very willing to belief the truth. She swept the ghost radar over him. It blipped, causing Valerie to look up at Danny.

"What?" he asked nervously, fidgeting in his seat. He needed to get out of here... with how mad Valerie was just at him, she'd be more willing to shoot first before asking questions.

"I think there's a ghost behind you," she said softly, pulling out her gun from her book bag. "Don't move, Danny, okay? I don't want you to get hurt..."

"Then wouldn't you want me to move out of the way? And what if the ghost moves? They do understand human speech," Danny responded. "Maybe I should just leave the room..."

"You'll get in trouble if Miss Fleetwood comes back," Valerie responded. "It's best if you stay inside the room."

The ghost alarm was still going off. "You might want to turn that off, first," he told her. "That's starting to get really annoying."

Valerie gave Danny a stern look. "Just get over here," she ordered, and Danny got up and did as he was told. "It's still where it was," she said after scanning the area again. Danny breathed a small sigh of relief. "Show yourself, ghost!"

A small kid appeared near Danny's desk, looking frightened. Her eyes were a fluorescent blue and she had long black hair. "I don't want to hurt anyone," the ghost girl whispered, hiding behind the desk. "I just wanna talk to the halfa."

Danny gulped and Valerie raised her weapon, causing the ghost girl to cower. "Valerie, stop. She just wants to talk to someone," he said softly.

"I want to know who she's talking about, first. What does she mean by halfa?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Danny shrugged unconvincingly. "I think it might mean half-ghost, half human?" he said, trying to sound uncertain.

Valerie's eyes widened. "There are ghosts that are half-human?"

"There are two halfas in existence," the ghost girl whispered, opting to speak. "We ghosts don't know how they got that way. We think they're just humans who have our powers. One of them is very bad--he woke up one of the worst ghosts." The ghost girl shivered. "But the other one is good. We need his help in our world."

Valerie kept her weapon level. "Wouldn't normal humans with weapons against ghosts be able to help? I've been in the ghost zone before, with that ghost kid..."

Danny remembered that day. He shuddered at the memory of being completely paralyzed. "Why do you guys need his help?" Danny asked softly, walking over to the ghost girl despite Valerie's orders to stay away from her. "What's going on?"

"There are new ghosts in the ghost zone--they're trying to do what the Fright Knight and his leader weren't capable of doing."

"I don't think that the halfa can handle it right now," Danny whispered, touching the ghost girl. She was cold and icy to the touch. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I don't want to fight ghosts anymore. I'm not good at it."

"But!" the girl cried, her eyes filling with tears. "They told me that--"

"There's nothing we can do to help you, ghost. Please go back to the ghost-zone," Valerie said, looking at her sternly. "How do we know that this isn't a trap?"

"It's not!" the ghost girl cried, stamping her foot. "I wouldn't be here if we didn't need the halfa's help!"

"Why do you need his help? He's not particularly good at saving people!" Danny scoffed, turning away from the ghost girl.

"Wait, you know who she's talking about?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow at Danny.

"Of course he does! _He's_ the halfa!" the ghost girl shouted, pointing at Danny.

"I am not!" Danny shouted back, flashing his green eyes at the ghost girl. "How could I be the halfa?" he hissed.

Valerie studied Danny, her eyebrows still raised. "What does the halfa look like in ghost form?" she asked the little girl, moving the gun over and pointing it at Danny. She pressed a button, causing the gun to warm up.

"He has white hair..." the girl began, giving Valerie the halfa's full description.

"The ghost kid? The one I've been hunting all this time? He's part human?" Valerie asked, her eyes wide. "Why would he destroy my life, then?"

"Were you really happy with that life?" Danny asked, glancing at Valerie. "Was popularity and shallow friends and money really that important?" he continued, walking towards Valerie.

The ghost girl was watching his every move with narrowed eyes. "Where are you going?" she asked shrilly.

"The halfa is probably having a rough time. He probably just needs to get away from it all. I don't know where he is, or when he'll be back, but I'll let him know that you ghosts need help. That is, if you ghosts still want or need his help, later on."

"What're you saying?" the ghost girl asked, walking over to Danny.

"Most ghosts can't just take over the ghost zone. I've been there--I've caught a couple of ghosts in my time, but that was when I had help. I don't have that help anymore. I know there's several ghosts who could take care of that new one without a problem. If they just worked together, they could keep their ghost zone free."

The ghost girl looked near tears before vanishing, leaving Valerie and Danny alone in the room. "That was quite a speech, Danny," Valerie said softly. She was studying him intensely, watching his every move. Her gun, however, was placed at her side.

"You might want to put that away. If Miss Fleetwood sees that, she's going to flip out," Danny muttered, sitting back down at his desk, placing his head on his arms. He felt guilty for letting the little ghost girl down like that, but his hero days were over. He couldn't handle the stress of fighting ghosts right now. He knew that Skulker and everyone else would be able to handle the situation.

"Danny--do you know anything about the ghost kid?" Valerie asked as she sat back down.

"What? You mean Inviso-Bill?" Danny secretly shuddered as he said that name. "I've met him once or twice."

"Really?" she asked, sounding skeptical. "How'd you manage that?"

"I hunt ghosts too, Valerie," Danny said simply. "I saw him protecting us from his kind, I'd figured it would be alright to leave him alone."

"Actually, I think the ghost kid's name was Danny _Phantom_," Valerie responded, getting out of her desk. "That sounds awfully close to your name, doesn't it? Danny _Fenton_. I wonder why that is..."

"Oh, so now _I'm_ the ghost kid? Do I look like a ghost to you, Valerie?" Danny asked, lifting his head off the desk. "Why would I be a ghost? I'm alive."

"You don't need to be dead if you're a halfa," Valerie retorted, standing in front of Danny's desk. She was glaring at him with all her might. "A halfa is half-ghost, half-human, right? If they're half-human, they'd still have to be alive..."

Danny glared back at her, keeping his ground. He knew that Valerie had him figured out, but he wasn't going to just give up and let her have her way. "If I were half-ghost, don't you think I would have just searched for my friends in the ghost zone?" he asked. "Do you think I would be here, right now, in detention even though there's no teacher here to make me stay, if I had ghost powers? I would have duplicated myself and have made my duplicate stay here."

Valerie continued to glare at Danny. "You know that a person only becomes a ghost if they have unfinished business. What if Sam and Tucker didn't have any? What if your family didn't have any, either?" she asked. "I think you're lying to me, Danny. The names are too close to be a coincidence. Unless there's another Danny Fenton that you know of."

Danny returned the glare, his eyes flashing green without his meaning to do so. Valerie stumbled backwards, her mouth open in shock. Softening his glare a bit, Danny regarded her strangely. "What's wrong, Valerie?" he asked.

"Y-Your eyes! They were green!"

Danny's glare dropped and he stared at her with his mouth set in a grim line. Should he just show her? She had already figured out, and even if he managed to convince her he _wasn't_ Danny Phantom, she'd still be suspicious of him. Danny looked away from Valerie, biting his lip. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Valerie righted herself, watching Danny carefully. Danny was relived that she hadn't went to get her gun again. "So you _are_ the ghost kid?" she asked, anger lacing her voice. Danny just looked away. He suddenly felt very tired. "You've been here, watching me suffer all this time? Who else's life have you made miserable? Have you been mocking be behind my back--did you ruin my life on purpose?" she shrieked, leaning in close to Danny, her eyes filling with tears of anger and frustration.

"No, of course not! I'm not like that, Valerie! Yeah, at first I didn't like you because you've been horrible to me and my friends before you lost everything! Not to mention you've been trying to kill me ever since! But I feel sorry for what I've done--I didn't mean to do it, and that ghost dog only wanted his old squeak toy. I tried to stop him, you know!" Danny shouted back, trying to look Valerie in the eyes as he spoke. "That dog just wouldn't stay in the ghost zone until he got his toy..."

"You ruined my life!"

"I didn't mean to! You try and control a ghost guard dog!" Danny shouted. "It's not like I was _trying_ to ruin your life!"

"Because of you my dad lost his job--I lost my friends--my grades are in the toilet _and_ I have to fight ghosts and have a second job!"

"I'm _sorry_, Valerie, but if your friends were too shallow to still like you even though you were poor, then they weren't that good of friends to begin with," Danny told her, looking away. "I could have told you that Dash and them don't care about who you are, but how much money you have."

"I knew--I learned that the hard way! But you're still the reason why my life is less than perfect now," Valerie hisses, moving away from Danny, sitting down at her desk. Just as she sat down, Miss Fleetwood walked back in, looking a little raged.

"You two are still here? Did you two realize it was past four?" she asked, looking between the two of them. They both shook their heads. "Well, you two can go home now."

Danny got up, grabbing his book bag and heaving it onto his shoulder. He didn't wait up for Valerie; he didn't want to be yelled at anymore. He had felt terrible a couple of months ago when he had caused her father to lose his job, he didn't need to feel worse. When he walked out of the school, he heard the sound of a gun warming up, then felt a sharp edge at the small of his back. "What are you going to do, kill me?"

"I just want to watch what you do, ghost," Valerie hisses. "I want to make sure that no one else gets hurt because of you."

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, turning around. "Valerie, I'm the good guy. I _save_ people."

"Then why did you destroy my dad's lab?" she hissed, aiming the gun at Danny's heart.

"Because the dog was rummaging around looking for his toy! _He_ destroyed it--I was just trying to get the dog to behave! I wanted to capture it and put it back in the ghost zone."

"How do you get to the ghost zone, anyway?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have a ghost portal in my house that's a doorway to the ghost zone," Danny explained. "Why?"

"Because you just turned down that little ghost girl. I want to see who she's talking about. I could probably take care of the problem myself," Valerie responded.

"Valerie, you've been in the ghost zone. It's not as easy to find anything in there as you think. _I_ don't even know my way around it," Danny told her, shaking his head. "Don't get yourself killed over something that you don't know everything about. Not all ghosts are trustworthy, remember?"

With that, Danny turned away from Valerie and began to walk home, leaving Valerie alone, gun still pointed at his back.


	4. Options

AN: I apologize for my supreme lateness in getting this next chapter out. AP classes are starting to really kick my ass and I haven't had much time to type anything between swim team, indoor drumline, and homework. Now that swim team is over, though, hopefully the chapters will be updated more regularly.

A Different Direction  
Chapter 4  
"..."

Valerie watched as Danny walked away, lowering her gun. He looked so upset. What was she doing, pointing a gun at another human being? _He's a ghost_, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. _It doesn't matter if he appears to be human_.

Valerie shook her head. Danny was still alive; he was still a human being. It didn't make any difference if he was half-ghost, half-human. He was walking around now, as a human being. He was trying to live the life of a normal teenager, despite the fact that part of him was dead. How did he become that way? How did Danny Fenton develop the half that is ghost?

Valerie slowly put her gun away, watching Danny turn the corner. "Where's he going?" she whispered to herself, raising an eyebrow. "That's not the way to his house."

She resisted the urge to follow him. If he wanted to take a different way to his house--which she then realized was a possibility--that was fine with her. It wasn't exactly her place to be monitoring his actions. It wasn't like she was his mother; it wasn't like she was really his friend. The way he kept saying that everyone he _ever_ cared about had died the day before told her that much. Why was Danny even going to school, anyway? Wouldn't he want to stay away from everyone and grieve for his loss?

But something bothered her. The way he was walking off, the look he gave her before doing so. He wasn't carrying himself the way he normally did. He seemed even less confident that usual. She looked back over to where he had gone. She could follow him; it would probably make her feel better.

Then she saw the flash of black and white that she had grown so used to following with such a gusto. Where was he going? There wasn't a ghost nearby, was there? Danny Phantom always seemed to come around whenever there was another ghost nearby... Valerie kicked her shoes together, causing her flying board to come out. She started flying towards Danny, trying to follow him without being noticed.

That's when she noticed the other ghost flying over her head. That ghost looked awfully familiar to her, as well. She followed the two of them a little more urgently, keeping a close eye on the two of them. She noticed that Danny seemed even more urgent to get away. Valerie tried to follow them as best she could, and eventually the other ghost surrounded Danny with many copies of himself.

Valerie moved as close as she could get to them without being noticed, put her board away and walked even closer. She could hear voices from where she was. Danny looked almost frightened, but he tried to give the other ghost a stern look. The other ghost, now that she could see him, was the ghost she had fought this morning. This morning it looked like he was holding another ghost that got away. Could the other ghost had been Danny?

"What do you _want_, Plasmius?" Danny cried, being wary of the copies. "Why can't you leave me alone!"

Valerie blinked, then hit herself in the head. If she had ever paid attention the ghost boy's voice, she would have figured out who it was much sooner. The attitude, the tone of his voice--nothing changed about it at all when he was in ghost form.

"I just want to talk with you, Daniel. I need your help with something..."

"I'm not going to help you with _any_thing, Plasmius. I just want to go home and forget about everything that's happened today. And yesterday," Danny said softly, looking away from Plasmius. Valerie watched as Plasmius' facial expression changed ever so slightly. It seemed like he was almost concerned for the boy.

"Daniel, you don't seriously want to forget about your family, do you?" he asked. "Your family was who helped make you who you are. You can't just forget about them. Especially sweet, sweet Maddie.."

"I want to forget the pain, Plasmius. Not them," Danny whispered. He began floating to the ground, Plasmius and his copies floating down with him. Valerie just watched in silence.

_There are only two halfas in existence_, Valerie suddenly remembered. Would Danny know the other halfa? Would this other ghost be the other one? His voice sounded awfully familiar, as well.

"Daniel, you can't just forget," Plasmius responded. "But if you join me, I'll find a way for you to forget all of the pain..."

Danny's eyes lit up a little; his facial expression seemed less dull. "You wouldn't be able to--there's no way you can just separate a person from their painful memories," he responded, shaking his head.

"If I separate your humanity from you, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Plasmius smiled at Danny. "What do you say?"

Valerie gasped, watching as Plasmius walked over to Danny, pulling his copies back into himself. "Remember, Daniel, the human soul is very different from the ghost soul. You can live forever as a ghost, and never have to deal with the pain of being human, ever again."

"But then I would no longer be human," Danny whispered, backing away from Plasmius. "And it's never been done before--and I bet it can't be done!"

"Oh, it can be done, Daniel. You just have to understand how it can be." Plasmius smirked at Danny. "I'm going to find a way to have you join me, Daniel. Using those ghost powers of yours for good cost you the time you could have used to save your family and your friends."

"But if I join you, I'll have to give up my human life," Danny muttered. He changed back, a flash of light moving around his body as he did so. "I'd never be able to be the person that I am ever again."

"Would you rather be yourself, Daniel, or would you rather be able to live your life without pain and regret?" Plasmius asked, the same flash of light surrounding his body. Valerie's eyes widened as she gasped nearly loud enough to be caught. "Vlad Masters!" she whispered to herself.

"Daniel, I want you to come live with me. Maddie would want you to stay with someone she'd know would take care of you," he said, looking down at Danny sadly. "I think I would be suited for the job."

"News flash, Vlad! My mother doesn't trust you since you've tried so many times to take her from Dad--and I'll never trust you! How many times have you tried to kill members of my family?" Danny asked, moving away from him.

"But Daniel, it was _your fault_ they died in the first place," Vlad responded.

"Go to hell!" Danny cried, running away from Vlad, changing back into his ghost form.

Vlad sighed, shaking his head.

"D'ya want us to go after 'im, boss?" asked another ghost that appeared suddenly next to Vlad.

"No, that will not be necessary," Vlad responded, waving a hand. "He'll see that he has no other choice."

Valerie had heard enough. She kicked her shoes together again, flying off towards Danny's house. She needed to talk to him--and now. What Vlad Masters was talking about was crazy. She couldn't let Danny be convinced to join that man. Danny was better than that.

She managed to make it to Danny's house before he got home. Sighing, she sat down at the steps, looking for any sign of him. She couldn't believe it. Vlad Masters was the other halfa; Danny was a halfa. These two people, both of whom have helped her in different ways, were ghosts. They were both the kind of beings she had hunted for a living. Why would Vlad give her her weapons if they could possibly be used against him?"

"What're you doing here?" Danny asked as he approached the steps. He must have turned back into his human form on the way home. He was glaring at Valerie with what must have been all of his strength.

She resisted the urge to get short with him. Standing up, Valerie said softly, "I was worried about you. I--well, I followed you as you left school. I saw you get chased by that ghost, Plasmius."

Danny's eyes widened, then soon narrowed again. "Why didn't you stop him? Do you have any idea how powerful Plasmius is!"

Valerie shook her head. "You seemed to have been doing okay. He wasn't trying to hurt you."

"Plasmius is my arch enemy! He would take any chance he'd get to destroy me! If he wasn't so determined to get me to join him, he probably would have killed me many times by now--he's had so many chances," Danny cried, looking away from Valerie.

"Why does he want you to join him?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do _you_ care? I'm just another ghost to you," Danny hissed, making his way up the stairs, pushing past Valerie. "Go home, Valerie. I don't want you here."

"But Danny--" the door shut behind Danny, effectively cutting Valerie off. She sighed angrily, placing her hands on her hips. "Danny Fenton! Let me in this instant!"

No response. The house was silent. Sighing again, Valerie stepped up to the door and knocked on it. Still Danny didn't come to the door. She stood there for a few minutes before knocking again. "Damnit Danny..." she hissed to herself, feeling her frustration build. "Answer the door..." she started pounding on it. Maybe if she annoyed him enough...

"Will you stop that!" Danny shouted as he pulled the door open. "That's so annoying! What do you _want_, Valerie?"

Valerie stepped back, noticing just how angry Danny really was. "I want to talk to you," she whispered, looking away.

"Yeah, right. If by 'talk' you mean beat me to a bloody pulp," Danny hissed. "Look, Valerie, I don't want to talk. I don't want to see anyone right now. I want to be alone."

"Danny--I don't want you to make the wrong decision! I don't want you to join Plasmius," she said quickly as she noticed he was about to shut the door again. "Please, listen to me!"

"...How much did you see of me and Plasmius?" Danny asked slowly, opening the door again. He was still regarding her angrily, but his facial expression seemed to soften.

Valerie's eyes widened, and she looked away again, rubbing her arm. "I saw everything," she answered, her voice quiet. "I saw Plasmius change back into Vlad Masters."

Danny blinked, then smirked to himself. "So now you know who the other halfa is."

Valerie nodded, still looking away. "I feel like I should... apologize to you. I've been trying to capture you all this time."

Danny looked away to the side himself. "If it wasn't for Sam and Tucker you probably would have captured me five times by now."

"Sam and Tucker knew?" Valerie asked, walking over to Danny.

'They were the only ones who knew," Danny responded. "I was--out fighting a ghost and I needed them to distract Lancer and my parents for me so I could make sure the ghost was caught. If I had just come with them instead, I could have saved all of them from the Nasty Burger explosion..." Danny whispered, sitting down on the steps, placing his head in his hands. "It's my fault that Sam and Tucker died... my fault my family died..."

Valerie sat down next to Danny and hesitantly placed an arm around his shoulders. "Danny... it isn't your fault. You know that."

Danny pulled away from her touch, tears rolling down his face. "What happened to hating me? I'm the ghost kid, remember? I ruined your life, Valerie," he managed between sobs.

Valerie looked don at the ground. "You... didn't destroy my life, Danny," she whispered finally, folding her hands in front of her. "You showed me what real friends are like. I never would have known what it was like to have a real friend if it weren't for you..."

Danny's tears slowed down. "But--we didn't really get to know each other. Sam and Tucker wouldn't let me--"

"Sam and Tucker knew about me being a ghost hunter, didn't they?" Valerie asked, watching Danny. "They didn't like me because of that, right?"

"They were only trying to protect me," Danny whispered. "I tried to explain to them that you were a good person, but..."

"Danny, it's okay. It's not like they're here now to protect you," Valerie said, trying to lighten the mood a little. Danny only seemed more depressed to hear that. "Now--what does Vlad want from you?"

"I don't know," Danny muttered, standing up. "I really don't have much of a choice, though."

"What d'you mean?" Valerie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What I mean is if the police don't find someone from my family to take me in, then that means I'm up for adoption. Vlad can take me in very easily, that was," Danny whispered, walking back into his house. "You coming?" he asked when he noticed Valerie hadn't moved from her spot on the steps.

Valerie blinked before nodding, standing up quickly and walking in after Danny. The house looked more disheveled than usual. "What happened in here?" she asked softly, looking around.

"Vlad probably thought I would come home when I fought him this morning instead of going to school," Danny answered, shrugging. "It's not like it matters. I'm going to have to leave this house sooner or later."

"So you're just going to sit here and wait for Vlad to take you away?" Valerie asked. "Why can't you live with Sam's or Tucker's parents?"

"Because they don't want to see me. They think I'm responsible for all of this, no doubt," Danny muttered, slumping into the couch. "That and I feel so guilty as it is. If it weren't for me, their kids wouldn't be dead anyway."

"Danny, you're not at fault! You didn't kill them!" Valerie said sternly, narrowing her eyes at Danny. "Stop blaming yourself, and get over it. You're not to blame."

"You weren't there, Valerie! You have no idea what it's like to know that you're too late to stop bad things from happening!" Danny shouted at her. "You have no idea what it's like to be me!"

"You're right, Danny. I don't. But I know what it's like to lose someone you care about," Valerie stated, putting her hands on her hips. "My mother died when I was nine, because she saved my life."

Danny stared at Valerie, the anger disappearing from his face. "Your mother died when you were nine?" he repeated softly.

"Yes. So it's been just me and my dad for the past five years. It wasn't my fault she died, Danny. It wasn't my fault just as much as it wasn't yours that your family and friends died," Valerie said softly. "Danny, you need to learn that things happen for a reason. Maybe there is a reason for their death--a good one."

Danny just stared at Valerie before looking away. "Everything reminds me of all of them. I can't stand being here--it's driving me crazy..."

"You can stay at my place," Valerie offered, looking hopeful.

"You sure you want to give this ghost a home?" Danny asked, his eyes filled with sadness. "I'd understand if you didn't trust me."

"I'm sure," Valerie responded, smiling softly at Danny.

"But--what will your dad think?" Danny asked. "I don't think he'd like the idea too much."

"Daddy wouldn't mind as long as he understood the situation," Valerie said reassuringly. "Here, I'll go home and talk to him, and then I'll come back to get you, okay?"

"Okay," Danny said softly.

Valerie turned to leave, walking towards the door, feeling slightly relieved.

"Valerie?"

"Yeah?" she asked, turning around to look at him.

"Thanks for--for being there for me," he responded softly, walking over to her. "You don't really know how much it means to have at least one person who cares about me."

Valerie smiled at him. "You're welcome, Danny. I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?"

Danny nodded, following her towards the door, shutting it behind her softly. Would her father really say yes? Danny wasn't exactly the most well-behaved boy on the planet. Then again, neither Valerie nor her father knew that. He looked at the clock, noticing that it was almost five already.

Danny yawned, stretching as he headed for the stairs. He tripped over something on the way to the stairs. It was a medallion--one he had never seen before. He pocketed it, hoping it would give him some clue as to who damaged his home. If things went okay, Danny would be able to still live in Amity Park. Even if the town now held bad memories for him, it was still his home, and he would miss it terribly.

Danny walked up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He saw Jazz's book bag sitting out in the hallway, just where he had left it the night before. Jazz wouldn't want it to just sit there, in the way for someone to trip over it. He picked it up and opened her bedroom door. The assault of pink on his eyes caused him to wince. He had forgotten Jazz really was. Sighing, Danny walked over to Jazz's bed, putting the book bag down next to it. He noticed her diary was sitting on her bed, wide open to a page half-filled with words.

Danny blinked, then looked around on impulse. Then he remembered that Jazz was no longer there to yell at him if he looked at her diary. Danny reached for it, but stopped himself. Just as he had things he wanted to hide from Jazz, Jazz had to have some things she wanted to hide from him. Even with Jazz being gone, he should still respect Jazz's personal belongings. Sighing, Danny moved away from the diary before turning and walking out of the room.

The medallion was heavy in his pocket, and Danny pulled it out to study it. It looked familiar. He had definitely seen it once before. But where? Danny couldn't recall. Shrugging to himself, Danny put the medallion on his desk in his room.

Valerie was only going to be a couple of hours; he had to make sure he would be ready to leave by the time she got back. Feeling happier than he had since the accident, Danny got to work gathering his things despite the twisting and turning in his stomach.


	5. Adoption

AN: Sorry this took so long to get out. First I was busy, the next when I tried to type it up the first time it got eaten. The second time it got eaten. Let's home that this time I don't lose the file, again.

A Different Direction  
Chapter Five  
"Adopted"

Valerie walked home quickly, trying to make sure that she would make it home in time to have a nice long conversation with her father. She had to do anything in her power to make sure that Danny would not end up in the hands of Vlad Masters. Vlad wanted to make Danny his apprentice, and Valerie had a feeling that if Danny didn't listen to what Vlad told him to do, Vlad would make sure that Danny's life was twice as miserable as it was right now.

She smiled in relief as she saw that her father's car was parked out front of the apartment complex. Hopefully this would go by fast enough. She pulled out her keys, quickly opening the door and rushing up the stairs. He was probably still eating dinner.

"Daddy?" Valerie asked sweetly, walking into the apartment. She blinked at the lack of response. "Daddy?" she asked softly, her smile slowly shifting into a frown.

"Something's not right," she muttered to herself, looking around the apartment. She shut the door behind her, trying to make the door shut as quietly as possible. There were no visible signs of a struggle, which relieved her only slightly. She pulled out her gun, pressing the button to charge it.

She walked over to the kitchen area, looking around. Nothing seemed out of place, except... Valerie looked over at the refrigerator. It was hanging half-open, slightly ajar. She walked over to it, then poked the door with her weapon. The door only moved, nothing else. She sighed, lowering her weapon. She shouldn't be too worried about the refrigerator door; it never closed all the way to begin with.

She was being paranoid. Her father was only out with his friends, that was it. He wasn't abducted or anything like that. He just went with them in their car. There was nothing to worry about.

Well, at least nothing more serious than the current situation. Valerie sighed and sat down at the table. How was she going to ask her father about taking Danny in, now? If he was going to go straight to work, she wouldn't get the chance to talk to him until the next day. Maybe he had his cellphone on him... Valerie got up from the table and grabbed the phone. Quickly she dialed her father's cellphone number, hoping that he would answer promptly, as usual.

No answer. Valerie hung up the phone, now further worried. Where would her father be without his cellphone? He wouldn't let it ring like that! It would have driven him insane. Valerie put the phone back where it belonged, leaving the kitchen area. If they were after her, the ghosts would have made themselves known by now. They'd want to claim their evil doings; they would have left a sign of some sort.

The door creaked open, causing Valerie to jump over to the door, her weapon poised. She quickly put it away when she saw that it was her father and visibly relaxed for a moment, until she saw that her father was followed by Vlad Masters. The two of them were talking jovially, and Valerie managed to plaster on a fake smile.

"Hi, Dad," she said softly. "Hello, Mr. Masters." She hoped she didn't sound as disrespectful as she thought.

Vlad, however, seemed to notice the change in Valerie's tone. He discreetly raised an eyebrow at her. "Hello, Miss Grey. How have you been?"

"Fine," she responded evenly, looking away from him. "What are you doing here, Mr. Masters?" she asked, hoping that she didn't sound so accusatory as she thought she did.

Vlad's eyebrows raised at Valerie's question before he smiled back at her darkly. "I was just talking to your father about the unfortunate accident at the Nasty Burger," he responded. "The Fentons were old friends of mine. Such a shame they died at a young age..."

"Do you know Danny Fenton, Valerie?" her father asked, sitting down on the sparse couch.

"Yeah. He went to school today," Valerie said softly. "And Daddy, I wanted to ask you if he could stay with us. He has nowhere else to go--both of his friends died in that explosion--"

"You want a teenaged boy that you probably don't know to live with us?"

Sighing, Valerie walked over to her father. "He and I are friends, Daddy. He would be grateful to have a place to stay. He's all alone in that house. He needs someone to take care of him," she explained softly.

"Valerie, you know we don't have the money," her father said, sighing. "I've never even met him, either. I don't know the first thing _about_ him..."

Vlad cleared his throat, causing Valerie and her father to look over at him. "If I may interrupt for a moment... I believe that I know Daniel quite well. We have been acquainted, after all. If you are so worried about his well being, Miss Grey, perhaps I can make sure he's in good hands?"

Valerie gulped upon hearing that. She looked around the room, looking for something to help her out. "Danny would prefer staying in Amity Park, Mr. Masters. He grew up here," she managed, hoping that it didn't sound as weak as she thought it did.

Vlad only smiled at Valerie, studying her intently. "He can finish out the school year, if he wants. Wouldn't want to uproot the boy in the middle of the semester, now would I?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked, her eyes wide.

"Why, my dear girl, I already adopted the boy. The papers are being processed right now," Vlad said, beaming. "I was so honored to be granted the opportunity to raise my best college buddy's son."

"So don't worry, Valerie. Your friend will be taken care of. Vlad Masters here is a multi-billionaire. He has the means to take care of a fourteen year old boy."

Valerie's face fell and she nodded, trying to hide her unease. She looked at the time. It was only six o'clock. "Well, I have to go. I have a job to get to," she muttered, walking past her father and Vlad, noticing that Vlad was looking at her triumphantly. She glared at him in secret, unnoticed by either of them, before walking out of the apartment. She waited at the door for a moment, until she heard the door open again beside her.

"Miss Grey! Don't you need to be going to work?" Vlad asked, feigning concern.

"You knew I was going to try to convince my dad to let Danny stay with us, didn't you?" she asked curtly.

"Why, now how would I have known about that? I only arrived here last night," Vlad responded, blinking in feigned confusion at her.

"Don't play dumb with me, _Plasmius_," Valerie hissed, glaring at him. "You've been bothering Danny since you've gotten here. Can't you leave him alone?"

"Oh! So the little ghost hunter thinks she has it all figured out, does she...? Did Daniel tell you?" Vlad asked, leaning in close to Valerie. "Did he tell you his own little secret, as well?"

Valerie glared at him, narrowing her eyes at him. "You stay away from him..." she hissed. "He doesn't need to deal with the likes of you."

"My dear, you don't seem to comprehend a thing I say. Daniel will be in my care officially in the next few days. He has nowhere else to go--you said so yourself. Child Protective Services are probably already at his door, taking him away from that empty house _as we speak_."

"You're a danger to him!" Valerie cried, trying to keep her voice low.

"But you can't prove that, and neither can he. That, and, well, having a lot of money does help to--quiet any dispute that can occur," Vlad said, smirking at Valerie. "And my, you have just as short as a fuse as Daniel does...how fitting."

Valerie gasped as her weapon was snatched from her hand, and she was tossed back onto the floor. "Don't you dare go near him! I'll expose you!" Valerie hissed, pulling out another, smaller weapon.

Vlad blocked the shot easily with his own shield. "You can't expose me, Miss Grey. No one would believe you. TO most people, there's no such things as ghosts, after all. Report me to the news and they'll just laugh at you. The existence of a half-human, half-ghost? It's not possible according to any science."

Valerie growled low in her throat, getting off of the ground. She kept her weapon aimed, but Vlad seemed no less confident. "Someone would believe me..."

"But not enough people would, Miss Grey. And again, having money at your disposal makes having people follow whatever you want them to so much easier," Vlad stated, walking past Valerie, turning his back on her. "Face it, Miss Grey. Daniel is mine at the end of the semester... Actually, from what I have heard about your pathetic high school, I just might transfer him out sooner," he muttered out loud. Valerie could almost _hear_ his smirk. "The boy needs a more quality education."

"That's not fair to him!" Valerie cried. Vlad just looked over his shoulder at her, an eyebrow raised. "If the Fentons were such good friends of yours, wouldn't you want what's best for their son? Wouldn't you want him to find acceptance for their deaths?"

"Daniel is much stronger willed than you think, but he is also stupid, just like his father. I _hated_ Jack Fenton. He was the one who _gave_ me my powers, just like how Daniel got his. The man ruined my life as I knew it, and stole my love away from me. Jack may not be alive anymore, but the thought of Daniel realizing how much of a moron his father was and realizing how much of a _better choice_ I am would have crushed Jack, if he were still alive.

"My only regret is that I didn't get to kill Jack myself, and that I wasn't here to save Maddie. No matter, I have placed to _go_, you see. Business to attend to. You understand, don't you, Miss Grey?" Vlad asked, turning his head back around, walking towards the stairs. "Oh! Do say hi to Daniel for me, will you?"

Growling low again, Valerie ran past Vlad, pushing her way down the stairs. She needed to get to Danny's house and fast. Who knows how much longer it would take for the Child Protection Services to arrive at Danny's house? How much time did she have?

"You're much too late, m'dear. You won't even get to say goodbye to him," Vlad called behind her, dodging a ray from Valerie's weapon narrowly. "She really is quite good with those."

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Danny glanced over at the clock. He had been sitting on the couch for the past ten minutes, unsure of what he should do. Valerie said she would be back by seven; it was only 6:20 now. He hoped she would be back soon. He was packed and ready to go.

A cold wind came in through the window, causing Danny to shiver. He had forgotten that he had left that window open. Sighing, he got off of the couch and went to close it. The doorbell rang just as he placed his hand on top of the window. Forgetting all about his previous task, Danny shot towards the door.

"You're back early, Valer--" Danny stopped, his smile quickly evaporating. "Who are you?" he asked, keeping himself guarded behind the door.

"We are the Child Protection Services," the first man said, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. "The police had kept you from us in their search for your living relatives, but we have found a suitable home for you."

The second man stepped forward, his sunglasses hanging on his shirt. "Nice place you got here. Mind if we take a look?"

Danny pushed the door further closed. "No, you may not. If you don't mind, I'm waiting for a friend."

"Your friend can wait," said the first man sternly. "Your adoptive father wants to meet you."

"Adoptive father?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"He said he had spoken to you about it, already," the second man responded, reaching up and playing with his sunglasses. "Vlad Masters was his name, I think."

Danny's eyes widened and he resisted the urge to slam the door in the two men's faces. "Tell him I don't want to see him--and that I don't want to live with him."

The first man removed his sunglasses, staring at Danny. "Do you know him personally?"

Danny glared at the man, his voice low. "I _hate_ him! I don't want to live with him--find someone else!" Danny slammed the door, stalking away from it. Hopefully the two men would get the point, and they would just leave him alone. As he went to sit down on the couch, his eyes widened and he gasped. He was adopted.

Why did this have to happen now? Why couldn't Vlad have waited to get his hands on Danny? Did Valerie already know? Was she going to come back? Danny ran towards the back door, hoping that the two men out front were just going to leave and come back later. It would give him the chance to get away without having to go ghost. Quietly he pulled the door open, softly stepping down the stairs.

The backyard was a mess. Danny couldn't remember the last time he was back there, and one look at it told him he was going to have to go ghost just to get through the yard without making any noise. Sighing, he changed, then floated above the strewn objects on the ground.

Danny stopped midway through the fence, thinking to himself. He might want to grab some things. If he could, he would live at Valerie's house as a ghost. It would give him a place to hide. There was a sound coming from behind him. He wouldn't have the chance to go and grab something. He went through the fence the rest of the way, turning around the corner towards the front of the house. He saw that the front door was open; so the men had broken in after him... It would take them a little while to realize that he left through the backyard--how he did it, they would never know.

Sighing, Danny flew high into the air, looking for the fastest way to Valerie's house. Something told him not to go that way, but where else did he have to go? He couldn't go to Sam's or Tucker's--it would be hard to explain the disappearance of food or other things. Unless, of course, Danny attempted to stay in ghost form the entire time. He saw Valerie's house in the distance, but he noticed someone running away from it. The person seemed familiar, so Danny floated closer to the person, studying them.

"Valerie!" he cried, trying hard not to draw too much attention to himself. But who would miss a kid floating in the sky?

Valerie looked up, slowing down. Danny landed in front of her, and she tried to hug him while he was still a ghost. Regaining her balance, Valerie said softly, "Danny, Vlad adopted you. The paperwork's going through right now."

Danny nodded, looking around. "This place isn't safe. We need to go somewhere else to talk."

"Danny, what do we do? You can't just _run_ from Vlad Plasmius! He'll do anything to find you," Valerie said softly, following Danny.

"I can hide, though," Danny whispered. "I wouldn't be able to go to school, or go outside, or anything--but I could go into hiding."

"Danny--even if you hide, he'll find you. Vlad has all the money in the world at his disposal--do you honestly think he'll just give up on looking for you?" Valerie asked, studying Danny's face intently, sadness showing in her eyes.

"I don't care," Danny said softly, leading Valerie towards an ally-way, changing back. "I don't want to be Vlad's son. I wouldn't ever be able to face my father, if I ever see him in the ghost zone. Going to him willingly would be like telling my father that Vlad was better. I don't want to do that to my father, even if it's only the memory of him I have left."

Valerie blinked, her studying of Danny interrupted. "But, Danny--you need to go to school. You need to get an education--what about college?" she asked, moving closer to him. "What about me?"

Danny looked away, sighing. "I'd have to leave you behind. I can't leave any way to be traced."

"Danny--think about this! You're only fourteen years old--there's no way you can support yourself to live anywhere," Valerie pointed out.

"Who said that I was going to live as a kid?" Danny asked. "I'm half-ghost, Valerie. I could live in the ghost zone as a ghost."

Valerie's eyes widened. "But--Danny--you have a lot of enemies there!"

"So? I can deal with them. I beat them once before, I could do it again. _Without_ help. I'm stronger now. I'm learning new powers everyday. I'm learning better control. I should be fine like that," Danny explained, looking at Valerie sincerely.

Valerie sighed, shaking her head. "Danny, you can hide out at my place--as a ghost."

"No."

"But Danny!"

"Valerie, where's the first place Vlad will look for me? My other two friends are dead. I can't haunt their house and survive there without being noticed. You're the only friend i have who's still alive. He _knows_ where you live--how else could he send you all of your weapons?" Danny walked away from Valerie, his hands clasped behind his back. "He's going to search your home for me, first. And he'll find me. Anywhere I can hide in that apartment complex is common knowledge to him."

"But--I don't want you to just wander around, Danny. What if something horrible happens to you?" Valerie asked, sounding worried.

"Valerie, I _have_ to do this! I need to get away from here as fast as I can. Vlad's bound to show up soon."

"Like right now, Daniel?"

Valerie screamed, but the sound soon became muffled. Danny turned around quickly, changing back into his ghost form. He glared at Vlad as he held Valerie's arms behind her, a hand over her mouth.

"Let her go!" Danny shouted. "She has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh--she has _everything_ to do with this, Daniel. You care for this girl, and she obviously cares for you. And right now, she's in my way to you."

Danny crouched down, getting ready to attack. "Valerie hasn't done a thing to you, Plasmius! Let her go!"

"Don't you dare point that beam at me--you know I'll just harm the girl if you do," Vlad said, smirking. "You don't want me to hurt your little girlfriend, do you?"

Danny growled, calming down his powers, straightening himself out. He kept his eyes narrowed at Vlad, watching his every move. "What do you want?"

"For you to come with me, of course. You _are_ my son, now..."

"I'm not coming," Danny hissed. "You can't make me!

"Oh, Daniel, I can..." Vlad hissed back, smirking at Danny, tightening his grip on Valerie, causing her to cry out in pain. "I'll _kill_ the girl if you don't come with me, Daniel."

"Danny! Don't go with h--" Valerie cried when she shook herself free enough to talk. Vlad growled, his hand glowing.

"Quiet, girl!"

"No!"

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AN: Cliffhanger! Woo! I get the feeling I'm going to get lots of angry reviews for this...but I had to. It felt right to end the chapter there.


	6. Weakness

AN: I told you all the wait wouldn't be as long!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters thereof. I might wish I did, but that doesn't mean I am going to pretend that they're mine.

A Different Direction  
Chapter Six  
"Weakness"

Danny stood, transfixed as Vlad's hand glowed darkly, his eyes wide in terror. "No!" he cried, finding himself unable to move. "Let her go, Plasmius! She has nothing to do with this!"

"Ah, Daniel, so easily scared for your friend's life... Can you save her, or are you just as incapable of saving her as you were your family?" Vlad taunted, his hand still glowing, his hand dangerously close to Valerie's face.

"Danny, he's just--bluffing!" Valerie shouted, struggling against Vlad's grip.

"You don't know Vlad Plasmius very well, do you, Miss Grey...?" Vlad hissed in her ear. "It's such a shame that you won't be able to keep Daniel from coming with me. You won't even be able to see him grow up into the nice, fine man he's going to be."

"Let her _go_!" Danny shouted, moving towards Vlad and Valerie.

"One more step, boy, and the girl will die right here in my arms."

"No, don't! Plasmius--she isn't worth killing! _Let her go_!" Danny shouted. Again, waves emitted from Danny's mouth, throwing Valerie and Vlad backward. Vlad, as he was thrown back, lost his grip on Valerie--his bean released from his hand. Panting, Danny straightened himself out--he could feel his strength leave his body.

_Valerie!_ Danny looked up, noticing that Plasmius was already beginning to recover. Valerie was laying a couple of feet from hi, her eyes closed. He forced himself to move--to fly over to Valerie and pick her up, away from Vlad. As he picked her up, Vlad shot another beam at Danny and Valerie; Danny barely managed to dodge the beam, finding it harder to move around with Valerie's dead weight in his arms. He tried to fly up in the air, but his energy was too low for him to make it anywhere fast enough. He kept an eye behind him, dodging Vlad's beams, hoping that Vlad wouldn't do the smart thing and duplicate himself.

Danny was beginning to waver in the air; his grip on Valerie was loosening. He had to get away--he had to somehow distract Vlad--had to give Vlad a reason not to follow. But how? Where could he go? Danny looked down at Valerie; her eyes were still closed. Such a powerful attack...when did he gain it?

Danny flew straight into Vlad's duplicates. He had forgotten that he was slower now that he was tired, and that he had extra weight in his arms. He stopped, trying to find a way out. He could go straight up--or down--maybe if he faked Vlad out, he could get away--could make sure that Valerie would be safe.

"It's pointless, Daniel," Vlad hissed, glaring at Danny. "Come with me, or you and the girl both _die_ here."

Danny held Valerie closer to his chest, glaring at Vlad. He was so tired--he couldn't move fast enough to escape even if he wanted to get away without damaging both himself and Valerie. And if he went with Vlad now, Vlad would let Valerie go without so much as a word. Vlad wasn't quite that heartless that he would destroy the one thing Danny had left...was he?

Danny lowered himself to the ground, carefully landing so he wouldn't disturb Valerie. "Do you promise to let her go free?" Danny asked, his voice low, sounding tired. His shoulders were beginning to slump and he adjusted Valerie in his arms, hoping that she wouldn't wake up. He didn't want to bring Vlad any reason to harm her.

"Why are you so concerned about her? She's just another worthless human being, Daniel. She's not worth anything to anyone," Vlad muttered, his copies still remaining around Danny. "Just put the girl down and come with me."

"What do I get, Vlad? I don't get anything I need if I go with you. I'll just be miserable and lonely, because there won't be anyone there for me to hang out with."

"What does that matter, Daniel? Friends are pointless--they only get in the way of things. I've gone this long without a friend, and I still don't need one."

"That's pathetic," Danny muttered, putting Valerie down carefully on the ground. He knelt down beside her, his eyes fixed on her closed eyes. His eyebrows were knotted in worry. "I could go never go with you," he hissed suddenly, glaring at Vlad. "All you've ever done is threaten my life, my family, my friends!"

"Well, Daniel, that's part of being evil, I'm afraid," Vlad responded, looking as if Danny was not comprehending something so simple. "I'll get what I want; and I want you as my apprentice. After all, there must be some evil in you...your anger is an good indication of that."

"I'll never become evil! I _fight_ evil!" Danny cried, flying over to Vlad's real form, swinging his arm backwards.

"You don't ever learn, do you?" Vlad responded, phasing out of his old position, his copies disappearing instantly. He was now standing over Valerie's unconscious form, his smirk growing into an evil smile. "You left the girl open for attack by leaving her side like that, Daniel!"

"Don't you touch her!"

Vlad stepped over to Valerie before dodging Danny's plasma beam, putting up an ecto-shield all around him and Valerie's body. "That is why you do not make such a good hero. You don't think of how you leave others open for attack; you're not always conscious of what you _should_ be protecting."

"Don't--touch--her!" Danny hissed, throwing all that he had at the shield. Vlad just continued to smile, protected absolutely from all sides.

"You really like this girl, don't you?" Vlad asked. "Getting too close to someone is also a weakness of yours, Daniel. You concern yourself too much with those you know. To be a good hero--or even a good villain, you can't get close. It gives you a weakness for you enemy to exploit."

"Leave her alone!" Danny shouted. "She doesn't mean anything to me--she's just someone I know! I don't want to see anyone else I know get hurt!"

"You do care about her, Daniel, don't deny it. It only makes me more interested in your...reactions." Vlad bent down over Valerie, studying her. "She is such a pretty girl... I wonder if she has a boyfriend."

Vlad picked Valerie up off of the ground, studying her as he held her. "She's strong-willed and determined, just like your mother. She has something in common with you--ghost hunting. If I didn't know any better, Daniel, I'd say she was perfect for you."

Danny felt his face flush in both anger and embarrassment. "Put her down," he whispered, straightening himself out, his eyes never leaving Vlad. "You want me to come with you, fine. Put her down and leave her alone."

Vlad lowered his shield, smiling at Danny. He made no move to put Valerie down, but he walked over to Danny with her in his arms. "If you think you can fool me, you have much to learn. I'm not putting the girl down until we get her back home."

Danny narrowed his eyes at Vlad, changing back into his normal, human form. "Fine," he hissed.

"Very good, Daniel. What a good idea," Vlad responded, his tone mockingly portraying how stupid Danny must have seemed to him. He changed back as well, smirking at Danny. "Shall we go, little badger?

Danny growled, turning on his heel for a split second before turning back around. "You go first," he ordered, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Vlad raised an eyebrow before smiling to himself. "Honestly, Daniel, I am not quite _that_ underhanded. Do you think I would harm the girl without reason?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't trust you enough to have you behind me," Danny responded.

Vlad shook his head, still smirking. "You're in no position to be giving orders, Daniel. I'm the one who has all the cards in his hand." He looked pointedly at Valerie. Danny suppressed a growl at the back of his throat--the way Vlad was looking at her made his blood boil... "If you want me to come with you, I will be walking behind you. I promise not to harm Miss Grey."

Sighing in frustration, Danny turned around on his heel, walking as quickly as he could towards Valerie's apartment. He needed to get her back home--he needed to get her out of the way so he could shake Vlad, and get away. If Valerie remained with them, Vlad would only use her as a weapon against him again.

"Miss Grey seems to be out like a light. I wonder how you've developed such a powerful weapon."

"It's not a weapon," Danny responded hollowly, trying to think of a way out of this. He turned down another street, resisting the urge to look behind him. If he looked over at Vlad now, his anger would take control, and he won't be any good to Valerie pissed off. She had to get home safe, out of Vlad's way.

"And how isn't it? It's extremely powerful--so powerful that it destroys buildings and can knock out a defenseless teenaged girl," Vlad continued, his tone grating Danny's very thin patience.

Her apartment was only a couple of blocks away. They were almost there...if he could just keep his eyes on the sidewalk--no, the buildings--or the signs...as long as he didn't look back.

"Even I don't have that kind of power," Vlad admitted suddenly, his tone suddenly very dark. "Tell me--how can a little boy like you learn a power I haven't even dreamed of in less than a year when I've had my powers for twenty years?"

Danny ground his teeth together. Focus on the sidewalk--anything, as long as it wasn't Vlad's voice. Holding in a sign, Danny turned yet another corner, Valerie's apartment building in view. Focus on the building--on her floor and room number...

"For twenty years! And I have no idea how to use _that_ weapon."

Vaguely, Danny realized that Vlad was purposely trying to grate his nerves. Upon this realization, Danny found it much easier to focus on his destination. Valerie's apartment. He was only a few steps away. Her father would have already left for work by now--the key to the apartment shouldn't be an issue. Valerie was out cold--she wouldn't wake up until after he had made his escape. Things should be easy.

Danny stepped up the stairs and into the open building, hoping that Vlad was right behind him. The older man had been silent since the building became clearly visible. "We're here," Danny announced dully, phasing through Valerie's apartment door. He could hear Vlad doing the same behind him.

"Now what to do...?" Vlad asked in a fake, questioning tone. "We can't just leave her on the couch--we have to make sure she's comfortable."

"We're putting her in her room on her bed," Danny snapped. "I'll show you where it is." He needed to still focus on something other than Vlad. This wasn't over--Valerie wasn't safe and sound yet. She was still in Vlad's arms, sleeping peacefully.

When the two made it to Valerie's door, Danny motioned Vlad to go in first. He would have to follow Vlad in; he would have to make sure she was laid down on her bed. He couldn't leave without knowing she was out of _his_ arms.

But how would he get away? How would he get the much needed opening? He hadn't thought that far ahead, and he was now regretting his one track mind as he watched Vlad carefully put Valerie on her bed, almost as if he actually cared whether or not he disturbed the girl's sleep.

Suddenly Danny was surrounded by Vlad's clones, and Danny crouched, ready to fight his way through. But it was Valerie's room--if he fought back he would be endangering her, still. Slumping in defeat, Danny lowered his balled fists, looked down at the ground, and sighed.

"Time to go, Daniel," Vlad said, smirking, grabbing Danny by the arm, his copies disappearing. "You've missed your chance to say good bye."

------------

Valerie moved onto her side, her eyes squeezing tightly shut before she opened them, blinking, confused. "Where am I?" she whispered before feeling around her, realizing she was on a bed. Her bed. How did she get back? Where was Danny?"

"Danny!" she gasped, sitting straight up. She remembered the fight to the best of her ability, trying to keep herself from panicking. What happened to Danny? She looked around the room, searching for any sign of him. Maybe he was invisible, in case her father came in when he got home...?

But another glance around the empty room told her otherwise Danny would have noticed that she finally woke up and would be at her side, telling her not to worry and that everything was okay now. But everything wasn't okay; Danny was not there, watching over her. Frowning, Valerie stared down at her sheets, noticing that she wasn't under them. Whoever placed her here wasn't too concerned with tucking her in...

Valerie squinted her eyes, focusing on her blanket. "Think," she ordered herself, "What happened? What could have happened? Where's Danny?"

She vaguely remembered this strange power of Danny's. She remembered being thrown backward, and her head hit something--hard. Then nothing. She couldn't remember a damn thing after that. What could have happened?

Valerie searched her body for injuries. The back of her head throbbed, there were small bruises all over, but other than that, her injuries weren't too bad. She had been banged around worse before.

But these injuries told her nothing other than she received them when she was thrown backward. These injuries had an obvious cause--and there were no other injuries, no other signs of damage. Maybe Danny got away from Vlad and brought her home? Valerie narrowed her eyes, trying to think. Danny would have stayed with her, to make sure she was okay. Wouldn't he have?

Valerie shook her head. Of course he would have stayed to watch over her! Danny was her friend--he cared about her, even though they didn't know each other that well. But they were starting to really get closer...that counted for something, right? They even managed to stay friends after Valerie found out Danny's secret.

Vlad knew of Danny's secret. If Vlad really wanted to, he could have revealed Danny a long time ago to Danny's family, and to her. What stopped Vlad from revealing Danny's ghost-self? What could have Danny possibly known about Vlad that would have posed some sort of threat to Vlad?

Valerie told herself to think of Danny. Where did he go? Vlad couldn't have possibly gotten Danny, could he have? Danny wouldn't have let himself get captured, would he? Danny especially wouldn't have let himself get caught unless he was knocked out and dragged away.

Her eyes widened. Vlad seemed to be so powerful--what if he _had_ knocked Danny out? What if he had seriously hurt Danny?

But then how did she get back here? Vlad wouldn't have bothered to bring her back home; if he had had Danny knocked out he would have just taken Danny and left her there, lying in the street to wake up alone.

Unless Danny went with him willingly. Valerie stood up from her bed, wincing as her head throbbed, disagreeing with her sudden motion. She took a step over to her desk, picking up her ghost hunting equipment. Her whole body hurt, but she ignored it. If Danny went with Vlad willingly, then something was wrong--that meant that Vlad still had something on Danny. But what? What could Vlad have used against Danny as leverage?

Valerie was pulling her belt on when she stopped moving, her eyes wide.

"Me," she whispered. "He used me against him."

But when Danny used that ghostly wail of his, shouldn't that have knocked Valerie out of Vlad's arms? The force at which they were pushed back was incredible. Such a powerful attacking coming out of Danny's small, scraggly body--she couldn't believe it, and neither could Vlad, she remembered. Unless Danny couldn't get away with her in time...such an attack must have taken a lot of energy. Danny could have been so worn out that he could have passed out.

There was only one way to find out. She pulled on her mask, making sure it was secure. Her head still throbbed painfully, causing her to wince. She moved over to the other side of the desk, pulling open the drawer. There was a multitude of weapons within the small drawer. She needed something light. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she had to follow them.

But where would they have gone? Vlad wouldn't have taken Danny with him to Wisconsin already. There was no way they would have mad it all the way there already. Such a far distance, unless Vlad had some private jet to take them to his home, couldn't be be traveled so quickly. She couldn't catch up to them. She didn't even know exactly where to go, either. The packages Vlad sent her had always reached their destination without having a return address marked anywhere on them.

It couldn't be that hard to find such a rich man; a rich person couldn't hide too well if they flaunted their riches like Vlad appeared to do. Unless Vlad had actually thought that Valerie might have been some sort of threat to him, chances are Valerie would be able to find him without an issue.

But what if Vlad did bother to hide his residency to keep Valerie away? How would she find Danny? How could she make sure that she would rescue Danny? Vlad was so powerful, and he obviously had plenty of access to many powerful weapons. How else would he have been able to send them to her?

Valerie shook her head. She needed to clear her head; she needed to focus. Where was she going to go? She couldn't exactly leave the state at the moment. She had to keep up in her schoolwork, and she couldn't exactly go missing, either. Her father would need to know where she was going; he wouldn't let her chase down a rich and powerful man.

First things first--she had to make sure that Danny was still there in Amity Park. She was going to check out the Fenton House. Maybe she could find some sort of clue as to where Danny could have possibly been taken.


	7. Tensions

AN: Yay new chapter! I hope you guys enjoy.

A Different Direction  
Chapter Seven  
"Tensions"

Danny glowered at Vlad as the two entered his home. Vlad had had a harsh grip on Danny's shoulder the whole way to the Fenton house, his smirk never leaving his features. Resisting the urge to go ghost and clobber Vlad, Danny directed Vlad towards the stair case, annoyed that Vlad's hand still did not leave his shoulder. "I'm not going to run away, Vlad," Danny muttered.

"Ah, Daniel, that's what you want me to think. The way you behaved as we left Miss Grey's house, the fact you've been glaring at me any time you looked at me. I'm not about to let go of you, Daniel, and cause a struggle. You wouldn't want to get seriously hurt after that girl tried to do what she could to protect you."

Danny gritted his teeth, wincing as Vlad's grip increased tremendously. "I'm not going to fight with you."

"I'm not naive. I know not to trust my enemy," Vlad said, his smirk still present on his features.

"And you want your enemy to become your apprentice? You should know I'll never listen to you," Danny growled, turning the doorknob to his room. "What should I take?"

"Anything you want to take with you. Don't worry about clothes; I can always buy you more. You _are_ my son, now, after all."

Shuddering, Danny tried not to think of Vlad being fatherly. He needed to get stuff together. "Um. You might want to let go of me. It'd be kinda hard for me to get stuff together if your hand is on my shoulder."

"Very well," Vlad said softly. "I suppose I can let you go, just this once. But first, let me put _this_ on you." Vlad reached out to Danny's desk and grabbed the Specter Deflector, putting it around Danny's waist. "If I recall, that should prevent you from using your powers."

Sighing, Danny walked over to his closet, grabbing the things he knew he would need to survive at Vlad's house. He grabbed several sets of his clothes; he didn't want Vlad to have to buy new clothes for him. He picked up a couple of knick-knacks that he, Sam, and Tucker had made when they were little. He picked up his photo album, holding off the tears he felt building up in his eyes.

"I'll never see them again," he whispered. He vaguely wished he and Valerie had become friends much sooner, and that Sam and Tucker would have liked her. Maybe that way he would have had pictures of her, too.

Once Danny was done, he turned around to face Vlad. For once, Vlad's smirk had disappeared. Instead, he was studying Danny intensely. "Ready to go?"

"Why wouldn't you let me say goodbye?" Danny asked quietly. Vlad raised an eyebrow at him. "She's the only person I have left--why couldn't I say goodbye?"

"Because you wouldn't have come so willingly, and there would have been many more injuries to the both of you. She wouldn't have let you come with me; nor would you have wanted to."

"I _still_ don't want to come with you," Danny growled. "I wouldn't ever want to be your son!"

Vlad looked hurt upon hearing that, but he hid it rather quickly. "It doesn't matter, Daniel. I adopted you already. It doesn't take long to do so when you have as much money as I do..."

"Money means nothing when no one likes you," Danny muttered, taking off the Specter Deflector, picking up his book bag. "You'll never be able to buy companionship."

Vlad narrowed his eyes, walking over to Danny, his hand returning to Danny's shoulder. "I don't need to hear such things from you. Let's get out of here. My private jet is waiting."

&&&

Valerie rushed over to the Fenton house, disappointed to see that no lights were on. They couldn't have already left for Wisconsin, could they have? The plan must have been a later flight in the day; Vlad didn't appear to be in a hurry that afternoon, during their fight. Danny would have needed to get his things, right? Maybe the two haven't even shown up here, yet.

Valerie stepped off her board, and walked up the steps. When she reached the door, she noticed it wasn't shut all the way. She had shut the door that morning, hadn't she? Holding her breath, Valerie opened the door and walked inside. Nothing that she could see had been touched or moved in any sort of way. Not even the pictures on the mantel had been moved. If Danny and Vlad had been there already, wouldn't Danny have wanted to take some pictures with him? Would Danny have just left memories behind like that?

Valerie shook her head and headed up the stairs. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, and she strained her ears to listen for any out of place noises. She couldn't hear a thing. Her heart sank into her stomach as she made it to the last step. Danny's door was open. Danny wouldn't have left his door open like that. They had already been there; judging by the silence, they had been gone for a while. She couldn't believe it. How long had she been passed out?

Despite this realization, Valerie walked into Danny's room. Things were tossed all over the place, she couldn't see anything that Danny wouldn't have left behind. His closet was open; there were school supplies thrown about the desk. Maybe Danny left some sort of clue behind--some sort of way for Valerie to find him. Danny would have wanted to be found, right? He'd have wanted to get away from Vlad--he wouldn't want to just give up...would he?

Valerie stopped at the desk, studying the stuff laying on top of it. Pieces of paper were everywhere; Valerie found herself leafing through them all. Some sort of clue--if he had been here, he would have left some sort of clue. He'd want her to find him...

But would Vlad have given Danny the chance? Would Vlad really have been careless enough to leave Danny a chance to leave some sort of hint? Vlad didn't want anyone to get in his way; wouldn't want any sort of disruption in his plans. Could Danny have found a way to do just that? Was Danny smart enough to do so?

Valerie shook her head; there was no time for thoughts like that. Even if Vlad was watching Danny carefully, Danny still would have found a way. She remembered Danny's desk being neater than this; Danny wouldn't have made such a mess unless he was trying to hide something. Slowly Valerie began sifting through the papers again, organizing them between separate piles, studying each one carefully, scrutinizing every detail of the papers for some sort of sign. A few papers stood out, but when she looked over them one more time, none of them were related back to Vlad.

Valerie felt her eyes stinging painfully, causing her to blink. She wasn't going to cry; she wasn't going to get frustrated. This was Fenton Works. Weren't Danny's parents friends with Vlad in college? What about the internet? Wasn't Vlad some giant billionaire? He can't possibly have his home hidden on the web, unless there were some people out there who wanted to get rid of him--which was highly possible. Vlad _did_ create weapons for a living.

She put the papers down; all but one. Dalv. Something was trying a note within her. Dalv. Dalv. She studied the page; studied the address given on the paper. It wasn't located in Wisconsin. But the name still rang a bell. Instead of putting the paper back down, Valerie placed it in her pocket. She would hold onto it; it might give her some sort of clue.

Valerie moved away from the desk, glancing over the room one more time. What about the other rooms? Maybe Danny kept a journal? No; that would have been dangerous for him. His sister, however...

Jazz would have definitely kept a diary. Valerie walked out of the room and opened the next door she came across. Instantly her eyes were bombarded by a multitude of pink. "This _has_ to be Jazz's room," she muttered, stepping inside. "Where would a girl like Jazz keep her diary?" Valerie blinked, her eyes falling upon the book on the bed. "You gotta be kidding me."

It was Jazz's diary sitting there innocently on the bed. Valerie rushed over to it, picking up the book, thankful that it didn't have a lock. She opened the book to the first page, looking for the date. Valerie wouldn't put it past Jazz to have many diaries. This one would need to be before the start of her freshman year, or Jazz's junior year. Jazz was a junior, right? Valerie thumbed through the first ten or so pages, studying the words carefully.

There was an entry on something about a college reunion several pages in. That was all Valerie needed to see before pocketing the diary, as well. She knew Jazz was good with details. She knew that Jazz's diary would at least give her some more information about Vlad, if not his home's location. That was all she really needed, unless... Jazz wouldn't have kept the college reunion flyer, would she? That would have given Valerie location definitely.

Valerie searched the room up and down, finding nothing remotely of interest. Sighing, Valerie walked out of the room, heading towards the stairs. The diary should be more than enough. Now she needed to get home.

&&&

Danny watched as the clouds passed by, staring at them blankly. He had been stuck on this plane for way too long. Vlad had attempted to have conversation with him, but after the first half hour of failed attempts, Vlad finally got the point and remained silent. Vlad had just taken Danny away from everything he had ever known--did he really think that Danny would be happy?

The anger was nothing. It only weighed Danny's heart down more. He was leaving Amity Park; he was going to be entirely alone. There was going to be no one there for him to talk to. Vlad would never understand. He didn't have any damn emotions to deal with. All he was concerned about was power, having Danny as his apprentice, and having Maddie to himself. Whatever gave Vlad the idea that he would even stand a chance with Maddie? She had always loved Jack, for as long as they had known each other.

Sighing, Danny turned away from the windows, looking at the seat in front of him. He hoped that Valerie had woken up. If she was still unconscious, then that ghostly wail of his was far too powerful. It drained him of his energy, as well. His body couldn't support the new power quite yet. He hoped he could gain control over the new skill--it could be the only way he'd be able to beat Vlad. If he could beat Vlad, then maybe he could get back to Amity Park and find Valerie.

But what if he couldn't master it? What if he just can't support such a powerful attack? How would he defeat Vlad and get away? How could he get away, period? Vlad would definitely have some sort of state-of-the-art surveillance system. He would monitor Danny's behavior day-in and day-out, until he was absolutely certain that Danny would run away. And that, Danny knew, would never happen. No matter how long Danny was there without a struggle, Vlad wouldn't trust him, ever.

"My boy, what can you possible be brooding on about?" Vlad asked, the sudden intrusion of his voice harsh on Danny's ears. "You're leaving the old behind. Celebrate that fact, Daniel. No more pain and strife. You should be happy."

"There's nothing to be happy about," Danny muttered. "Living with you isn't going to be a blast; it's going to be terrible."

Vlad just raised an eyebrow. "My boy, I have all the money and power in the world. You can buy happiness with the wealth you have now."

"If wealth could buy happiness you wouldn't be nearly as bitter and unhappy as you are now. Power doesn't mean a thing when you can't get what you want through force."

Vlad remained silent, scowling at Danny before turning away from the boy. "I am not bitter," he grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms. "Maddie was _supposed_ to be with _me_."

Danny rolled his eyes, continuing to stare out the window. "I think my mom knew who was better for her before the accident," he said softly, his voice heavy. His parents...Jazz...somehow he couldn't still feel the full weight of their being lost. His fault--no matter how anyone explained it to him, it was his fault. Just as it was his fault that he was here, right now. If he hadn't left Valerie lying there when he went after Vlad, he wouldn't be there on that plane, on his way to Wisconsin.

Sighing, Danny leaned his head against the window, feeling the tears come. He made no move to stop them as he held the photo album in his lap. He had no one, now--now that he was taken away from the last living person that cared for him. No one but a bitter old man who didn't care about _him_ one bit, just cared about his powers and what he could do with them. What good was he, when all anyone wanted from him was his powers?

Wiping away the tears, Danny opened the album and flipped through it. Every picture had Sam and Tucker in it, the two of them smiling innocently at the camera. He remembered how Sam insisted that all three of them keep a photo album once they started middle school. He was thankful that she had--if she hadn't, he wouldn't have these pictures to look at; he wouldn't remember all the good times. He slowly flipped through the pictures. fingering his way to the last page in the album, feeling his heart getting heavy again. The last picture was taken only a week ago; the three of them looked so happy. They didn't even know that only one of them would still be living.

Closing the album, Danny turned his attention back to the window. He couldn't stop dwelling on all of his pain. It wasn't fair to his friends, even if the whole incident was his fault. He needed to find a way to escape his pain. But how does one go about forgetting something so painful?

"Daniel, we're almost home," Vlad said suddenly. "It would be an excellent idea to put your seatbelt back on. We're about to land."

Danny barely acknowledged that he had heard Vlad, but he reached down to rebuckle his seatbelt. "It's not 'home' to me," Danny muttered under his breath. "You took me away from my home."

Vlad scowled, but he didn't say anything in response. He continued to stare ahead, his seatbelt already securely fashioned. "You're going to have to leave all of that behind at some point, my boy. This is just a little--sooner--than you thought. My castle is your new home. I suggest you get used to it."

"It'll never be my home, because it'll never be what I had with my family and friends."

"I _am_ your family now, Daniel."

"You'll never replace _them_," Danny growled. "You're just holding me prisoner at your house until further notice."

"So cold, Daniel. There's no reason for you to be angry with me; I have saved you from the life of poverty. You should be grateful."

"You took me away from the one person who cared about me. I have nothing to be grateful over," Danny muttered, crossing his arms over his chest, his photo album falling on the floor. Danny quickly reached down to retrieve it.

"Do you honestly think she cared for you?" Vlad asked, shaking his head. "She was just curious about you, Danny. You were so unusual, being half-ghost, half-human."

Danny gripped the photo album tightly, trying to concentrate on something other than Vlad's voice. He was only trying to make him feel worse about himself; to make him think that he really had no one else left. "Stop trying to make me feel worse."

"No one in this world can be trusted, Daniel. Everyone is out to get someone."

"Even my mother? Or is she the exception to the rule?"

"Maddie is perfect in every way. If she didn't marry that fat oaf, she wouldn't have even risked her life. She would have lived in perfection with me."

"She died because of me, not because of Dad," Danny growled. "Don't _ever_ blame Dad for anything that when wrong in _your_ life."

"Why do you care what I think about your father?" Vlad grumbled. "He's not alive anymore."

"What about respecting his memory?"

"I didn't respect the man while he was alive; why would I respect him now?" Vlad asked, looking over at Danny.

"Because I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't talk about my dad that way," Danny muttered, glaring at Vlad. "My dad was very important to me. If you want me to start respecting _you_, you need to start respecting the things that are important to me."

"Forget about him, Daniel. I'm your father now."

"You're my father only on paper," he whispered, feeling his stomach lurch a bit as the plane began its descent. "You'll never be my dad."

Vlad didn't say anything in response, and the two remained in a stony silence as they made their way off of the jet and into Vlad's limousine. Danny didn't mind the silence at all--the less Vlad talked, the better.


	8. Plans

AN: I figured it had been too long since I had last updated--so here's an update!

A Different Direction  
Chapter Eight:  
"Plans"

Valerie sat down at her desk, staring at the textbooks strewn about it. She needed to get her homework done; there was no way she would convince her dad to let her go anywhere without her getting good midterm grades. If only Wisconsin weren't so far away--then she could just fly her board all the way there. She picked up her Algebra I book, studying the problems in front of her. She didn't understand any of it. Sighing, she put that book down.

Maybe economics? That homework should be easy enough... She picked up that book, leafing through the pages until she found the section they had been looking over in class. She read the section over, her eyebrows furrowing together. It was almost like reading another language. She put her economics book down, holding back a sigh. She knew she could concentrate and get the work done if she wasn't worrying so much about Danny.

Valerie shook her head. "No thinking about Danny," she ordered herself, "homework first." It was proving to be rather difficult for her to concentrate, but after a couple of hours of forced concentration, Valerie managed to finish the work she had been behind on. Extra-credit assignments were to come next---now that she was caught up. She looked over those separate assignments, glad that her teachers had been rather generous with the extra credit.

She stopped and put the sheet of paper down, her eyes wandering over to her bed, where her clues had been left out of her sight. The extra credit wasn't due for a while... She shook her head again, telling herself that she needed to get the extra credit done tonight. That required another hour or two of forced and wavering concentration on Valerie's part, but the work was satisfactory. Her grades in all her classes would no longer be in the toilet, after tonight--and once her dad saw her improved grades, she should be able to convince him to let her go "visit" a friend in Wisconsin. She even checked to see if she'd have enough to afford a ticket to and from.

Valerie removed herself from her desk, organizing the school work and placing it by the edge of the desk. Slowly she walked over to her bed, feeling all of the aches and pains from the day's earlier battles, looking outside only to notice that night had settled a long time ago. Valerie looked over at her alarm clock; it was past midnight. Her body was screaming for rest; she'd need to get up less than six hours.

She looked down at the flier she had picked up from Danny's room, scrutinizing it once more. Dalv--it just screamed something at her. The location was phoney; Valerie had looked up the address. Maybe Dalv was made up, as well? It would explain why it was striking such a chord within her; it might also explain why Danny had held onto the flier. Maybe it had something to do with Vlad?

"Wait a minute..." Valerie muttered, her eyebrows coming together once more. She grabbed a pencil off of her night stand, and wrote down "Vlad" on the paper next to Dalv. She hit herself in the head, which caused her head to swim a little. "No wonder it seemed familiar! Vlad--Dalv is Vlad backwards!"

She reread the flier, noticing for the first time that it was a _mother and son_ event. Vlad had wanted Danny's mother, right? And she knew that Vlad thought Danny might be useful. This flier was a trap of sorts set up by Vlad not too long ago, which was probably why Danny kept it.

Perhaps Dalv was the name of the company Vlad ran? And if it was, maybe she could find the location of its headquarters. But would Vlad's headquarters for his business be his home? Valerie remembered that her internet research had proved that Dalv did not exist, and she sighed. She glanced at Jazz's diary, then at her alarm clock. She needed sleep, but she also wanted to find Danny as soon as possible. Well, she couldn't go to him right away, but report cards were only a few weeks away. Only a few more weeks of work--a few more weeks to find out where in Wisconsin she was heading.

And that was if her grades were good enough, and if her dad was willing to let her take off several days of school and work only to find her friend. He wouldn't let her go if she was only going to bring back a friend. And when she rescued Danny, what was she going to do afterwards? Where would he go? And Vlad would surely find him again and take him back--she wouldn't be able to rescue him permanently.

Sighing, Valerie shook her head, forcing these negatives thoughts out of it. This was not the time for her to be worrying about things like that. If she was going to at least see Danny again once more time, she was going to have to find him. But right now was not a good option; her eyelids were beginning to close on their own, and Valerie let herself lay down on her bed. She was out cold in a few minutes.

&&&

Danny was laying on his bed, unable to get comfortable, or get his mind to stop reeling enough for him to sleep. He could expect Vlad to come in his room in the middle of the night to get some sort of "training" in. He didn't want to get caught off guard. Despite of all that, Danny's eyes were growing tired, and his vision was beginning to swim. He was so tired. So tired...

Danny's eyes flew open--the slightest sound provoking him. He sat up, his breathing quick, studying the room about him. Nothing. He had been here for weeks and yet he still wasn't used to sleeping in the large castle, unused to the sounds of the stone building. What he had gotten used to was the crushing loneliness in his heart. Thoughts of Valerie only made him feel worse. He hadn't heard anything from her--no sign of her trying to make contact with him.

Sighing, Danny laid back down on his bed. He curled up on his side, knowing that he was now _too_ awake to go back to sleep. He found himself thinking about Valerie--he had been trying to reach her without Vlad noticing him doing so, but so far all of his attempts had been in vain. Escaping was just as pointless--Vlad had put up a shield around the castle, meaning that Danny couldn't escape by going ghost. It also meant that, to escape, Danny would have to be human--and his human form was too slow to make it past the other traps that were set up for him.

The only way out of Vlad's castle was through the ghost portal--and Vlad had various minions guarding said portal--all of them strong enough to hold Danny off long enough for Vlad to come and stop him. Even when he was invisible, the ghosts still managed to spot him--still managed to keep him from escaping. It was frustrating--tiring... Danny wanted anything to be away from here--away from the reminders that he was truly alone--that _he_ was the cause of his loneliness.

Slowly the tears came to him, eating away at his eyes until he finally blinked them away. Every night was the same--he was tired of it...so tired of it all. He hated crying--he hated showing such weakness even if no one was there to see it. He hated it more on the days Vlad came in for some midnight training--the expression on Vlad's face when he saw Danny's face wet with tears. At first Vlad would make a comment about Danny being weak--especially because Danny's tears often hindered his ability to fight and dodge properly.

But after the first week or two of this, Vlad spoke less and less of Danny's apparent weakness. He began to look at Danny with what Danny could only identify as pity. This pity angered Danny, only bringing him more frustration. He would exhaust his frustrations through fighting, but afterwards Danny would feel even worse--almost empty. What good was he? Even his own enemy pitied him--thought he was a failure worth nothing more than a punching-bag. And even then, Vlad soon stopped the midnight training sessions, coming in Danny's room randomly, sometimes to fight--others to talk.

Danny wiped away his tears, focusing his mind elsewhere, trying to think of comforting things so he could fall back asleep. He needed his rest, even if there was nothing he could do about his current position. The letters he had sent--with no return address, as was ordered by Vlad--couldn't have reached Valerie. Vlad checked the mail that left the castle himself, making sure that Danny wouldn't give anything away about his whereabouts, or how to rescue him. And even if Vlad had let a few get through, what kind of useful information would have gotten through?

Danny tried to sent a more recent letter, one with innocent words--nothing could be given away in that letter. Even Danny doubted Valerie would understand the hidden message--if she even cared about him--if she ever even read the letters that did get through. Sighing, Danny buried his head in the pillow, trying to block out his thoughts, trying to keep himself together.

"Daniel?"

Danny stopped moving on his bed, trying to feign sleep. That tone of voice meant that Vlad wanted to talk to him. Still, Danny was in no mood to talk. It wasn't like he could confide in Vlad, anyway. Anything he told Vlad was often tossed back in his face, used against him at a later date so Vlad could gain the upper-hand over Danny.

"I know you're awake, Daniel." There was a pause, then a sigh. "You haven't been yourself lately."

Danny scoffed mentally at this statement--at Vlad's tone. Vlad was faking sincerity again; there was no way the man that held him here beyond his will truly cared about him. So he remained silent, allowing the man he refused to call father talk.

"I've come to the conclusion that you are too highly emotional--that your emotions are getting the best of you. If you are ever to become my apprentice, you really must learn to control your emotions instead of allowing them to control you," Vlad stated, his voice growing louder as his footsteps grew closer to Danny's bed. "But I also realize that this control is much too difficult for a fourteen year old to learn.

"I am here to offer a possible solution to this problem. There is a way that I can separate you from your emotions--it would require me to separate your ghost-half from your body, however. But the enjoyment you used to get from your powers has faded, I think, since you were incapable of protecting those you care most about.

"Unfortunately, for me, it would mean I'd lose the ghost-boy I had wanted to make my apprentice; but I'd rather you be happy, Daniel, and I'd rather you be able to function normally and move on."

"I could--have my emotions removed?" Danny asked despite himself. He turned his body so he could stare at Vlad over his shoulder, his eyes wide. "You mean, I could forget everything? Never feel the pain of losing my parents? Never feel how lonely I am?"

Vlad's eyes softened at Danny's questions, worry etched on his face. It was rare for Danny to see such a show of emotion from his greatest enemy. "You could," he answered finally, sitting on the edge of Danny's bed. "You wouldn't _forget_, however. The memories will always be there--you'll remember _how_ you felt, but you won't actually _feel_," he explained, his hands folded in front of him. "You would essentially be able to only feel happiness and other positive emotions. You'll never feel anger, hatred, loneliness, pain. Those emotions are tearing at you--ruining who you are. You can still become my apprentice afterwards--I could teach you how to invent equipment--build it, use it."

Danny stopped listening, allowing Vlad to ramble on about plans for after Danny's emotions were removed. "Wait--why would you remove my ghost-half?" he asked. "You're only removing my emotions, right?"

"Those feelings of anger--of hatred, loneliness, pain--there needs to be a vessel that carries them in order to be removed. Your ghost-half can be easily removed; it can also be used as that vessel we need in order to remove your emotions. Your ghost-half won't be missed--not nearly to the extent of your human-half, anyway. Once your ghost-half is removed, it will be locked away, never to be seen again."

Danny nodded. The separation shouldn't be too bad. The loss of his emotions--if it meant he could be happy again and get rid of this emptiness he felt--he didn't care about at all. "When could we do this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in thought.

Vlad glanced at Danny before sighing. "Daniel, please consider how dangerous this procedure an be. It means removing half of who you are--the procedure itself will be painful. I will be basically ripping out half of your _soul_. Are you sure you want to go through with something so dangerous?"

Danny sat up completely in his bed, studying the wall intently in thought. Vlad didn't have to wait long for Danny's answer. "I do," he whispered. "If it means I can be happy again, I'll do it, no matter how dangerous it is."

Vlad sighed, nodding. "Then we will do it tomorrow, after dinner. That will give you some time to reconsider, if you decide otherwise."

Danny nodded, watching as Vlad got off of his bed and made his way out of Danny's room. This decision seemed to calm him down, and he managed to fall back asleep.

&&&

Valerie sighed, staring at her report card. She had discussed with her father what grades she'd need in order to travel to Wisconsin. She found where Vlad lived weeks ago--Jazz had left a detailed account of the college reunion--even recorded the exact location. If she had just looked there first, she wouldn't have needed to bother searching Danny's room.

But the report card--it had to be nothing but A's and B's. Not one C could be placed on the paper--and there were three of them, right in a row. This angered her greatly--she needed the grades--and her teachers had promised her B's. Slowly, she folded the report card, leaving it on the kitchen table for her father to see when he came home for dinner. Next to it, she left a note for her father, saying she had been called in for work.

She was going to Wisconsin. The ghost-portal in the Fenton home, she knew, was still functional. Danny had mentioned something about it before he was forcibly taken to Wisconsin. The one time that the two of them were in the ghost-zone, she remembered he had a vague idea of how to find his way through it. Vlad, Valerie knew, was the only one who had access to something similar to the Fenton ghost-portal. If she could find her way through the ghost-zone...

Valerie grabbed her suit, pulling it on, grabbing her weapons and her board on the way out of her room. What she was about to do was dangerous. She also picked up Jazz's diary, hoping that it would lead her to some sort of clue--a clue that would tell Valerie what she needed to look for to find Vlad's ghost-portal. Once she had everything, she made her way out of the apartment, heading towards Danny's house.

She hadn't been there since the day Danny left Amity Park. The closer she got to the house, the colder the chill down her spine got. She needed to get to Vlad's castle--had to get there in time. In time for what, she didn't know. Something felt so wrong--something _was_ wrong, Valerie told herself. She just didn't know what it was, just yet.

The house was the same as it was weeks ago. Holding her breath, Valerie stepped inside the house, making her way carefully to the basement. She didn't get very far before stepping on something hard--Valerie found herself looking down at the object. "A medallion?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. On impulse, she picked it up and placed it around her neck, as she had no other place to put it.

She made her way down into the basement, noticing that the portal to the ghost-zone was closed. She studied the lab, searching for the switch that would open it. Unlike Danny, she couldn't just make herself phase through the shut doors. After a few minutes of fumbling over switches and buttons, Valerie pressed the right one. She glanced at her watch. It was 3:30 now...and something told her she was running out of time.

Valerie stared at the open ghost-zone, apprehensive. She didn't know how she would get around in there--her board might not be fast enough. What she didn't have was time--she needed to get going. Sighing, Valerie opened Jazz's diary, studying the pages she had dog-eared. Something in here would give her a clue--she knew it. If Vlad wanted to hide his portal--if he had one, Valerie reminded herself--he would hide it with something only he would recognize.

_He might be rich, but he really needs to get over his obsession with the Green Day Packers. Football is such a useless sport--way too aggressive. So they won't sell the team to him--I guess even a multi-billionaire can't buy everything he wants._

Valerie blinked at the passage before smirking to herself. "So Vlad's a football fan, huh? Hopefully that will come in handy."

She closed the diary, clicked her heels, and flew into the portal on her board, hoping that she won't have to waste any time fighting ghosts as she made her way through the ghost-zone.


	9. Disaster

AN: After this chapter, there's only two more chapters left! I won't spoil anything for you guys, but here we go!

A Different Direction  
Chapter Nine  
"Disaster"

Valerie panted, aiming at the newest ghost that had decided to attack her--she barely managed to hold on to her board with her free hand. Shooting wildly with her gun, she managed to get the ghost to fly off, back into its own piece of the ghost zone. Exhausted, Valerie pulled herself back onto her board, putting her gun back in its holster.

That medallion dangling around her neck clacked against her board as she hoisted herself up. "Damn ghosts," she muttered. Once she was balanced on her board once more, she continued flying, studying doorways to the real world as she went past them. She glanced at her watch--she had been in the ghost-zone for a couple of hours now. Her shoulders slumped, partially in exhaustion, but mostly in disappointment.

Two hours--she had been in the ghost zone for _two hours_. She felt no closer from where she had started. Vlad's portal just was nowhere to be found. Time was running out; her stomach was dropping lower and lower with each frantic moment that passed. Would she make it in time? In time for what, a part of her asked. Why was she so determined to get there today, of all days?

Ignoring her pessimistic stomach, Valerie straightened herself, studying the doors and portals. She would get there in time--she would find Danny in time and save him from Vlad's grasp. He would still be the same Danny she had become friends with--he would still have that cut lopsided smile. Danny would be happy to finally see her again, after the past month or so of separation.

All she needed to do was find that damned portal into Vlad's home...

&&&

Danny walked around the castle a bit, stretching his legs. He was waiting for dinner, and for the first time in weeks he was even looking forward to it. He kept thinking about what Vlad had said--turning the offer over an over again in his mind. He couldn't wait--couldn't wait to finally be separated from his emotions.

A ghost of a smile found its way onto Danny's face; he would finally be happy again. He would finally be able to move on because of this procedure. Finally, things would be somewhat back to normal. Once the negative emotions were gone for good, he would be able to find a way out of here--as no sad thoughts would be able to distract him from finding a way of escape.

Danny glanced at his watch--it was now five. He knew how dinners worked in this house by now. He made his way quickly to the dining room, not wanting to be late for dinner, for once. Vlad's eyes were a bit wider than usual once he noticed that Danny was already in his seat, ready and waiting for dinner.

"It's nice to see you at the table so early, Daniel," Vlad commented nonchalantly, taking his own seat across from Danny. "Though, I believe dinner will be a little late, this evening."

This seemed to sour Danny's expression a bit, though Vlad didn't seem to acknowledge it. Why did dinner have to be running late today, of all days? Danny rested his head in his hands, his elbows resting on the table.

"Elbows, Daniel," Vlad muttered. He glanced at Danny to make sure Danny had removed his elbows from the table. "I take it that you still want to continue with the procedure as planned?" Vlad asked suddenly, staring Danny in the eye.

Danny jumped a bit at the question--Vlad had sounded almost angry. Did he want Danny to agree with his suggestion? Did Vlad not want Danny to be happy again? "Yeah," Danny answered, watching as the servants brought in the first course of the meal. Danny ate with an unfamiliar gusto.

"You do understand that this procedure is very dangerous? It could potentially damage you forever, Daniel. It could render you an empty shell, if I'm not careful. Could make you soulless."

Danny seemed not to have heard a word Vlad said as he finished the first portion of his meal. "I just want to be happy again."

Vlad nodded, picking at his food, seeming to watch Danny out of the corner of his eye. He began to speak again once he was also finished with his first course. "Daniel, I can't guarantee that my removing your negative emotions will instantly make you happy. Removing those emotions from your soul might make it so that you feel nothing at all. Are you sure you want to risk being emotionless?"

Danny toyed with his fork, staring at it intently. "Being--emotionless can't be any worse than constantly being in pain," he answered finally, glancing up at Vlad.

The two dissolved into silence as the main course was placed in front of them, neither of them finding eye contact. Danny shifted uncomfortable in his seat, unused to the worried glances Vlad was giving him. Did Vlad really care this much about his well-being? Danny continued to shovel food into mouth, eating it without really tasting it. What would it be like to feel nothing at all? To be numb to the entire world? He would never feel sadness, nor would he feel loneliness ever again--but he would also no longer know happiness.

"The--procedure itself is going to be quite painful, Daniel," Vlad said after some length, taking a long sip of his wine. "I will literally be ripping out your ghost-half, along with your negative emotions.

"Which brings up another question: are you sure that you want to lose your ghost-half?"

At this question, Danny felt himself lowering his fork. He hadn't put this aspect of the procedure into consideration. Would he miss his ghost-half? Hadn't it only brought about trouble for him? Because of his ghost-half, he couldn't get close to Valerie until it was too late. Because of his ghost-half, he had found the means to get the answers for that dreaded test--the answers that allowed him to cheat--the answers that had lead to the death of his family and two best friends.

"I won't miss it," said Danny, resuming in eating his meal. "It's what lead to the death of everyone..." His voice cracked, and for a moment Danny thought he was going to cry, but he swallowed the tears back just as easily has he had done his mouthful of food. Soon, it would no longer hurt so much to think of all of those things he lost. Soon he would be able to forget the pain.

Vlad only looked away, unwilling to see Danny in tears. Once he faced Danny again, he realized that the boy had managed to clean his plate--even the green beans he was so sure Danny wouldn't eat. "I guess you wouldn't miss your powers, then," Vlad responded quietly.

"What will you do without them? You won't be able to rid the world of evil ghosts anymore," Vlad asked, attempting to steer the conversation away from the subject of Danny's loss.

"I sucked as a hero," Danny muttered. He was playing with his fork again, his eyes focused on the table. He glanced at Vlad now and then, trying to gage how much longer it would take before Vlad was finished with his meal. He wanted to get downstairs--he wanted to get to Vlad's lab. He wanted the pain to be gone as soon as possible.

Vlad seemed to notice Danny's impatience--seemed to eat even slower once he noticed it. Danny sighed, leaning back in his chair. A few hours seemed to pass before Vlad was finally finished with the main course. Soon enough the servants cleared the table once more, but Danny knew dinner wasn't technically over yet. Their desserts arrived a few moments later.

"Please consider that this might not be reversible," Vlad said softly as Danny tore into his sundae.

"I'll never be myself again if I can never be happy, Vlad," Danny muttered, taking another piece of the sundae. "I'm going to go through with it. I want to be happy again. And if I can't be happy, then I at least want to forget what it's like to feel pain."

Vlad found no response within him, so he ate his own dessert slowly. Danny was already finished with his sundae when Vlad was only half-way through his slice of cheesecake. Danny watched him, nearly dancing in his seat once Vlad put down the dessert fork. Without another word, Danny removed himself from the table, making his way to Vlad's labs.

Unwilling to match the boy's enthusiasm, Vlad made his way to his own labs slowly, as if to prolong Danny's chances to change his mind. But Vlad knew that Danny's mind was as made up as it was going to be. But the boy didn't seem to have thought the whole thing through--did he really understand what he was about to do to himself?

Sighing, Vlad took the stairs slowly, his knees reminding him that his body may be aging far faster than he had wanted it to. Once he was down in his labs, he noticed that Danny was standing beside the table Vlad had set up earlier that day in preparation. Danny's eyes were wide, now, as if the boy was suddenly realizing what he was about to do to his own soul.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Daniel?" Vlad asked, placing a hesitant hand on Danny's shoulder. Unlike the boy he knew, Danny accepted the touch and didn't pull away. Danny glanced at the table he was about to get strapped to, glanced at Vlad, and then back at the table. The hesitation gave Vlad some hope, so he decided to continue speaking.

"There are other methods of relieving your pain. You can still say no--you can decide to keep your soul together in one piece. I can find you the best councilor in the country--they can help you learn how to deal with the pain and the anger. It won't remove it from you, but--"

"No," Danny managed, "I want to do this. I'd rather feel no more pain at all for the rest of my life than relive it for some shrink."

Sighing, Vlad nodded, knowing the opportunity had passed. He motioned Danny to lay down on the table. He watched as Danny slowly rested his body, his arms outstretched. Vlad took his time strapping Danny down. He held his breath as he finished the last strap, hoping for Danny to speak up--to ask him to stop and tell Vlad he had changed his mind--that he wouldn't go through with this, after all.

But the last minute plea never came. Vlad pushed the table so Danny was now perpendicular with the floor. Danny's eyes showed some sign of fear--but the determination to go through with this, Vlad knew, was far stronger than any fear Danny experienced.

Vlad gave Danny no explanation as he pulled on the ghost gauntlets, which would help him remove Danny's ghost-half and, consequently, all of Danny's negative emotions. "Okay, Daniel, I want you to focus all of the pain and negative emotions you feel into your ghost-half as I reach in to remove it. If you don't concentrate hard enough, I will either take too many of your emotions and leave you as an empty shell, or I will do nothing to relieve you from your pain."

Swallowing, Danny nodded. He closed his eyes, his brows knotted in concentration. Vlad held his breath. This was it--there was no turning back now. _Daniel wants this_, Vlad thought as his hands moved closer to Danny, _he wants this._ And with that last thought, Vlad reached deep into Danny's soul, grasping at Danny's ghost-half when he found it. The entire time Danny was gasping out in physical pain, straining against the restraints.

It was extremely difficult to pull Danny's ghost-half from his body. Vlad was sweating by the time Danny's ghost form was pulled halfway from Danny's body, its eyes glowing a deep red. Vlad paid this detail no mind--he needed to keep pulling if he was ever going to free Danny from his pain. But it was almost over--the ghost-half was almost free.

Once it was completely free, Vlad moved the ghost-half away from Danny, handing it over to his minions, telling them to watch over it as he pushed Danny's table back to being parallel with the floor. The boy's eyes were still glazed over with pain, but Danny's breath was beginning to calm down.

"Are you okay, Daniel?" Vlad asked, his eyes filled with concern. Had he put the boy through too much? Danny remained silent, his eyes wide as he watched the scene going on behind Vlad.

"That--that's my ghost-half?" he asked softly, his eyes filling with an emotion Vlad could only recognize as fear. Vlad relaxed a bit, relieved that Danny was still capable of feeling any emotion after the separation.

Vlad removed the gauntlets from his hands, placing them on a nearby table. "Come, Daniel, I need to make sure that you get some rest. Does it hurt anywhere?"

Danny shook his head, still staring beyond Vlad as Vlad unbuckled the straps, freeing Danny from the restraints. Danny sat up, rubbing his wrists and jumping off the table. "I don't--feel any pain whatsoever. Not even--not even a little bit."

Vlad nodded, sighing in relief. He placed a hand on Danny's shoulder and squeezed it tightly. Danny glanced at him quizzically before suddenly pushing Vlad away from him. Vlad, not expecting such a violent shove to the side, stumbled and nearly fell over. His reflexes kicked in before he could fall, and he glared at the boy. "What _are _you doing, Daniel?" he snapped.

Vlad felt as if something was tearing at his own soul. He tried to move away, but Danny Phantom had him completely. The ghost-half was smirking, his eyes glowing a bright red. Vlad couldn't move--nor did he want to, as it would aid Danny Phantom in what he wanted. The ghost gauntlets were on the ghost's hands, which had already found their target and were ripping it from Vlad's body.

After a few moments of extreme pain, Vlad felt his ghost-half being freed from his body. Falling over on his hands and knees, Vlad panted heavily, grateful that the pain was gone. He tried to stand up--but his legs were still too weak for him to stand on them. He needed to get Daniel out of here--needed to bring his stronger minions into the lab to separate Plasmius and Phantom, who were now fighting each other. Daniel was on the other side of the room, cowering.

"Get out of here, Daniel, now!" Vlad shouted from across the lab. Whether Danny heard him was unclear. Maybe the boy was too afraid to get up--just like how Vlad was unable to move because his body was so weak from the separation. He was so focused on Daniel--so focused on trying to get up and get away that he hadn't realized what was going on in the middle of his lab.

Phantom had just tried to overshadow Plasmius. Plasmius struggled, attempting to rid his mind of the other ghost. Suddenly the struggling stopped. The ghost's appearance began to change just enough so that it was no longer Vlad Plasmius. Vlad finally noticed the transformation--noticed that the new ghost was now heading towards the boy. As soon as Vlad found the strength to get to his feet, it left him again, the newly powerful ghost knocking him out with a plasma beam.

When Vlad regained consciousness, the new ghost was already gone. He slowly got up, glancing around the room for any sign of the boy. At first, Vlad didn't see him. But as he moved closer to where he had last seen Danny, he knew that there was something horribly wrong.

Danny lay there, his body spread out, singed holes covering his clothes and body. The blood was everywhere.

"What have I done?" Vlad whispered, collapsing onto his knees. He knew that the boy was dead.

&&&

Valerie flew forward, hurrying as fast as she could. She found it! She found Vlad's portal! It was hidden behind that giant football--it had to be! She moved to the football out of the way just enough so she could slip past it and through the portal.

She knew, with one glance around Vlad's supposed lab, that she had arrived too late. "No..." she gasped, looking at the wreckage, noticing Vlad sobbing over a broken body! "Danny! No!"

"_Time out_!"


	10. Second Chances

AN: I'm really, really, really sorry for how long it took me to post this. Work took over my soul. But not to worry: I only have one more chapter after this one, and it's relatively short, so I promise I will get it out to you guys a lot faster. Enough of my rambling: onto the fic!

A Different Direction  
"Second Chances"  
Chapter 10

Valerie turned, trying to find the voice that had spoken. "Who's there?" she called, pointing her weapon blindly behind her.

"I am not your enemy, so please, put the gun away," a voice said from her right. Valerie turned to face the voice, noticing a ghost wearing a purple cloak and holding a strange-looking staff. "I am Clockwork. I am the ghost of time," he said once Valerie looked over at him, his form changing from the early-adult to the form of an old man. "Time is frozen, right now."

Valerie slowly lowered her weapon, her arm falling to her side. "You stopped time?" she asked, glancing around the lab. Vlad, who was kneeling beside a pile of wreckage, sat there, unmoving, his body frozen in mid-movement, his head turned towards Valerie. She moved towards him, her eyes filled with tears at the sight of Danny at Vlad's feet, his eyes open, staring eerily out at nothing. She felt the vague urge to throw-up. "Danny...I tried to save you--I--"

"You still _can_ save him," Clockwork said as he floated over to Valerie, his body changing from an old man to a little kid.

"If--if you stopped time--then why am I--?"

"The Medallion you found. It prevents my time magic from working on you," Clockwork explained, smirking slightly at Valerie. "I was hoping that the boy hadn't lost it--it was very key to my plan. No matter, the Medallion is in your hands, now. It will be up to you to change the future."

Valerie glanced at him briefly. "Change the future?" she asked.

"Yes. Dan Phantom--the ghost comprised of Vlad Plasmius and Danny Phantom--is an intricate part of your future, Valerie," Clockwork said softly, returning to his adult form. "He will be your enemy from now on--as it was predicted he would be. He will also be the most powerful ghost in the ghost-zone--he will destroy the harmony within the ghost-zone, and he will destroy the harmony of the human world, as well.

"However, this does not have to be. The boy you call Danny has made some poor decisions that have brought him to his fate," Clockwork stated, moving his arm to revert Valerie's attention to the body on the floor. "By cheating on that standardized test, he has brought about the death of his family and friends. But there is _one_ factor that changes the current situation--one factor that must be taken into account. The situation that was predicted did not have you becoming involved in Danny's life."

Valerie blinked, almost unable to look away from Danny's mangled body, ignoring how Vlad seemed to be posed in an unnatural position. "I'm--I'm the factor?" she asked, turning away from Danny's body. "If I were the factor, Danny wouldn't--he wouldn't be--"

"You arrived late because those that can See do not want the future to be altered; they want what they've Seen to become fact, instead of it just being a possible outcome. The direction I want this situation to take is different than the one they have Seen, so the Seers can realize the future is _never_ set in stone."

Shaking her head, Valerie tried to understand what Clockwork had meant. "But--if they prevented me from getting here on time to save Danny--wouldn't they just do it again?"

"How badly do you want Danny to live a normal life? I can't take back the death of his family and friends--that was something only _he_ could prevent; something beyond your own sphere of influence, Valerie. But I can give you a second chance. I can rewind time and move it back--just enough so you could have enough time."

"Theres a catch, isn't there?" Valerie muttered. "It can't be that easy."

"Very astute of you," Clockwork responded, smirking again. "You will remember nothing of our conversation--you will not remember your previous actions, nor will you remember the way to Vlad's portal, or what it looks like. There will be no guarantee that you will even make it on time to prevent Danny from having his ghost and human forms split--nor is it guaranteed that you will make it here on time before..."

Valerie followed his gaze towards Danny's broken form on the ground before nodding to herself. "Is there something--anything that might be able to help me?" she asked. "Any sort of way for me to make it here on time?"

"That is entirely up to you," Clockwork answered. "I can only rewind time--I cannot change what happens myself. Only those who are directly involved can change it."

"How far back in time will I be going?" Valerie whispered, moving towards Clockwork.

"At the most, an hour. That is all the time I can give you without disrupting both the human world and the ghost-zone."

"Okay."

"You don't have to do this, Valerie. You can decide to watch your future unfold--you can still let things be the way they are supposed to be."

"Danny is supposed to be alive--he's supposed to learn how to live with the pain of his loss. He isn't--he isn't supposed to die because of some ghost. Take me back--I want to try and save him."

"Very well," Clockwork muttered, holding up his staff.

Valerie was getting frustrated. She had been in the ghost zone for a little bit over an hour. She felt like she was running out of time--and all the ghosts that were coming at her--it was getting ridiculous. She removed her helmet, wiping the sweat off her brow as she stopped for a moment.

Once she stopped, she shook her head. "What am I doing? I can't stop!" she chastised herself, moving forward on her board at a faster speed. Time was running out--she glanced at her watch again. But she was so tired--she hadn't sleep much the night before, because she had an important test to study for. There was no sign of anything related to football in all of the portals she had seen to the real world. She noticed a few forms up ahead--were they Vlad's lackeys? She hid behind another object, watching them as they neared her.

The click of ghosts seemed bound and determined to get somewhere and fast. They sped past the hidden Valerie, not even once glancing in her direction. Once she was sure they were gone, she stuck her head around the object she was hiding behind, resiting the urge to follow the ghosts. They looked so familiar... But there was a faint, semi-circular object in the distance. If she followed them, she probably wouldn't have the chance to check out the strange object in the distance.

After a moment or two of debate, Valerie sped towards that object in the distance. Something inside of her was certain she was going the right way--that the barely visible object was worth checking out. She continued to speed forward, determined not to let anything in her way--she couldn't lose sight of that potential portal. A ecto-energy beam hit her in the shoulder, causing her to jerk forward on her board, almost falling off of it and into a different part of the ghost-zone. The beams continued to shoot about her--but she climbed back onto her board and faced the unknown ghost.

"Damnit!" she spat under her breathe as she moved her injured shoulder. She should have known a straight run wouldn't be so easy. The ghost game at her, a sadistic smile stretching across his face. She didn't know how long it took for her to win against him--but time was running out--she could feel it. The ghost floated away, defeated, as Valerie searched frantically for her destination. How much longer did she have? Why was she so anxious?

"Aha! There you are!" Valerie gasped out once she saw the vague shape in the distance once again. She started towards it once more, her hand covering her injured shoulder. She could feel the blood beginning to seep through her shirt--she had been through worse; this was nothing. She had to keep going--had to make it to Danny in time. In time for what, she didn't know--but she knew time was something she didn't have very much of.

As she grew closer to the shape in the distance, more and more ghosts came at her, distracting her, making her waste more time. She glanced at her watch--it was now almost two hours--two hours she had spent in the ghost-zone. But that portal--she was beginning to see it clearly--it was a football. Vlad, Valerie knew, was a football fanatic. Valerie thanked Jazz for being so mindful of details in her diary--and as Valerie edged closer to the football, the more certain she was that it was the portal she had been looking for.

Her injured shoulder was throbbing as she tried to push the giant football away from the portal. It was a lot harder to move than she had thought it would be. But this had to be the portal to Vlad's mansion--this football _had_ to be hiding the doorway to Danny. It just had to be. It took a few moments of frantic pushing before the football finally budged, revealing a portal much like the one to the basement of Danny's house.

Internally Valerie cheered as she continued to move the football further. She needed to have enough space to squeeze through without further agitating her shoulder. Once she was certain she had enough room to pass through the portal, she pulled out a couple of guns, holding one in each hand, even though she knew she couldn't lift one of them that high. Breathing in deeply, Valerie floated through the portal, clicking her heels together in order to retract her board as what must have been Vlad's lab floor appeared before her.

As soon as she stepped through the portal, she had to dodge a stray ecto-beam--the beam barely missed the side of her face. Her eyes went wide as she noticed Danny and Vlad were both in their ghost forms, fighting each other desperately. Acting on impulse, Valerie aimed a shot with her plasma gun, separating the two from each other. The two noticed her, both turning to face her briefly before returning to their own personal battle.

Valerie remained there, frozen. The look in Danny's eyes--it wasn't human. The anger--the pain--the frustration--the hatred that was apparent rendered her unable to breathe, unable to move. She stood where she was, watching the two fight. That wasn't Danny--that ghost that was fighting Vlad Plasmius was too ferocious, too _inhuman_ to be Danny! Valerie felt her eyes sting as tears of defeat began to form. Had she come too late? Was she too late to help Danny?

"Valerie, look out!" a voice cried from another part of the lab. Valerie snapped out of her daze, rolling away from a deadly shot aimed intentionally hat her. The voice sounded so familiar--but it wasn't possible! Danny was fighting Vlad--Danny couldn't be in two places at the same time!

That's when her eyes finally noticed the two other forms back in the corner of the lab. Vlad was on his knees--but that couldn't be Vlad! How could he be in two places at once? Danny wasn't too far away from him--stumbling to get to his feet--struggling to get Valerie's attention.

"Stop them! You're the only one strong enough, Valerie!" Danny shouted from the other side of the lab, dodging rays that were aimed at him.

"But how are you--?" Valerie was cut off in mid-sentence as Danny's ghost-half came flying at her, his arm pulled back as if he was ready to punch her. She shot at him, hoping the shot would slow him down, so she could focus on Plasmius, who was currently chasing after Danny's ghost-half.

"I'll explain later!" Danny shouted back, as he ran about the lab, desperately searching for something.

Valerie could only glance at Danny before focusing her attention on the two ghosts in front of her. Plasmius was making copies of himself, surrounding her on all sides, trapping her. She clicked her heels, flying up to avoid the copies, but Danny's ghost-half blocked her way, hitting her square in the chest with an ecto-beam. Flying backwards off of her board, Valerie landed on the stone floor of the lab with a sickening thud, crying out as she landed on her already damaged shoulder.

She forced her eyes open, forced herself to roll off to the side, just barely escaping the blow from Danny's ghost-half. Her vision swam, her chest felt like it was caving in. She was a ghost-hunter, damnit! She wasn't going to let her ultimate enemy defeat her--not now! She focused her energy on Danny's ghost-half, realizing that Plasmius was more content to just sit by and watch her fight with the other ghost, perhaps waiting for both of them to be weak enough for him to defeat easily.

Danny's ghost-half fought her bitterly, matching her blow for blow with such force, as if he was truly trying to kill her. Pain weakened her, but her knew shields appeared to be effective enough. The shields were nothing, though, against the next attack Danny's ghost-half had to offer. He sucked in a deep breath and let out that horrible ghostly-wail of his. Valerie, unable to block the attack, was thrown backwards, crashing against an uncluttered wall of the lab. Stars flashed before her eyes before she slumped down the wall, unconscious.

&&&

"Valerie!" Danny cried, watching as Phantom released the ghostly wail. He sank to the ground, tears filling his eyes even though he couldn't experience the emotion that caused them. His ghost-half was panting, doubled over--weak. He needed to act now--needed to at least capture his ghost-half. He frowned in determination, glancing frantically around the lab for the object he was looking for--and he found it.

Forcing himself off of the ground, Danny ran across the lab, his eyes set on that object--the Fenton Thermos. Vlad had confiscated it his first week in Wisconsin--said that Danny didn't need to worry about ghost-hunting anymore; that he was a horrible hero. He may have been a horrible hero in the past, but he wasn't about to watch the last person he had left get killed because of another one of his mistakes. Once he reached the thermos, he twisted it open, sucking in his weakened ghost-half.

There was only one thing: he had forgotten Vlad's ghost-half was still present. Plasmius was nearing Valerie, a murderous look in his eye as he moved towards her. "Don't hurt her!" Danny shouted, wishing that he could go-ghost right there--wishing he had the physical strength to fight evenly against Plasmius. He knew that Plasmius was too strong for him to handle. But he wasn't going to lose Valerie--he couldn't just let her get killed.

Plasmius, upon hearing Danny's voice, stopped moving towards the girl and looked at Danny. His eyes narrowed slightly before he changed direction, flying directly at Danny. Danny's grip on the thermos tightened, waiting for the moment he would leap to the side and away from Plasmius' attack. The attack, however, never came. Plasmius was shot in the back, causing him to stagger mid-flight.

This momentary hesitation was all that Vlad needed. He seemed to come out of nowhere, the Ghost Gauntlets on his hands. Vlad grabbed at his ghost-half, and once he had a strong grip on it, he forced it back inside himself. Once the reemergence was complete,Vlad fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Get...the girl..." Vlad muttered between gasps, struggling to get back on his feet. "Leave the thermos--get the girl and bring her to your room."

Danny glanced at Vlad before running over to Valerie, who was still slumped against the wall-but at least she didn't look lifeless. Danny held his breath as he knelt down in front of her, his eyes burning with tears despite the fact he felt absolutely nothing. The lack of emotion was unnerving, but he shook it off as he examined her closely, finally breathing again once he realized that she was breathing, too--though her breathing was labored.

"I'm so sorry, Valerie..." he whispered, feeling as if his heart would burst as he studied her, hesitantly reaching out to her. Her eyes flickered open.

"Did--did I hit him?" she choked out, her head moving towards Danny. She fell forward, leaning heavily against Danny for support. Danny pulled her closer to him.

"Yeah, you did," he whispered, relieved to hear her speak. "Can you get up?"

Valerie barely nodded against Danny's shoulder. Slowly, Danny got to his feet, helping Valerie stand up, his arm around her waist; her arm draped over his shoulders. "Can you use your board? It'll probably be a lot easier on you if we used it.

Valerie nodded again, signaling her board to fly over to her. Danny helped her get on it before standing on it himself. Valerie's eyes were still closed, her breathing was still so shallow. Swallowing, Danny hoped that she wasn't injured as badly as he thought she was. He held on to her waist tightly as they neared his room. He hoped Vlad wouldn't be too far behind, because as soon as he and Valerie reached his room, Valerie fell unconscious once again.

All Danny could do now was wait.


	11. Healing Wounds

AN: I know it's been a while. Real life, work, and lack of interest has kept me from updating much of anything as of late. However! I am now posting the last chapter of A Different Direction. No more waiting for you!

A Different Direction  
Chapter Eleven:  
"Healing Wounds"

Valerie opened her eyes slowly, hissing in pain as she moved her head ever so slightly. Her entire back, neck, and shoulders hurt, and her chest felt as if it had caved in, just slightly, crushing her lungs almost tortuously. She blinked and lifted her left hand to her chest, only to realize that another hand was laying on top of hers. She glanced at the other hand, following the arm with her eyes until she saw that Danny was sleeping, half of his body on the bed, the other half propped up in a chair. She smiled at him, ignoring the pain she felt as she grasped his hand.

"Thank God you're alright," she whispered. Her raspy voice was enough to wake up the sleeping boy, who muttered something inaudible under his breath as he stirred. He lifted his head, his eyes half-focused on Valerie before he flung himself at her, hugging her tightly. "Ow!" she gasped out as Danny hugged her--but she hugged back, despite the pain it caused her.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up!" Danny muttered into her shoulder before pulling away from her. He was blushing slightly--perhaps embarrassed because of how tightly he had hugged her. This thought only caused Valerie to smile even wider. "I didn't think--I thought you had forgotten about me."

Valerie blinked at that, shaking her head slightly, wincing in pain. "Why would you think that? I'm your friend, Danny. I would never forget about you."

Danny nodded, looking down at the stone floor of the room, sighing. "I just--I felt so lonely here. Vlad doesn't understand."

"Felt? Why the past-tense? And what the hell happened in the lab? Why were you and your ghost-half separated?"

Danny continued to look away. "Vlad told me that he could remove all of the pain and anger I felt over the death of my family and my friends. He needed to remove my ghost-half to do it," Danny explained after a few moments. "He basically ripped out all of my negative emotions along with my ghost-half. He warned me that there were risks--that he could make me unable to feel anything, but I wanted to do anything to stop feeling the pain."

"Why would you do that? There are other ways to deal with pain, Danny. Removing them and forgetting about them won't help you heal from it," Valerie stated, squeezing his hand. "Removing your emotions doesn't make you whole--it makes you empty. What would you have felt if I had died, Danny?"

Danny finally looked up at Valerie before shaking his head. "I wouldn't have felt anything--I would have maybe felt defeated because I couldn't save you, but I wouldn't have been able to feel anything," he muttered, taking his hand away from Valerie's. He folded his hands in his lap. "But I didn't want to lose another person I cared about," he added, making eye contact. "It was my fault everyone died--if I had gone-ghost sooner, I would have been able to save everyone. I--I failed to do what was needed to be done. But, if I had never cheated on that test, they never would have been in danger, either."

Valerie found herself nodding, though she was a bit unnerved by the lack of emotion in Danny's voice. "Do you think you could ever forgive yourself? Right now you probably don't feel regret for your actions--if you don't regret it, how can you be forgiven?"

Shrugging, Danny leaned back in the chair. "It's weird--I know what I should be feeling right now, but I don't feel a thing. I can even find myself crying even though I don't feel anything. But it's for the best--I don't need my ghost-powers and I don't want to feel pain."

"But now you're only half of who you were," Valerie whispered, studying Danny. "You were more human when you had your ghost-half. Feeling pain is a part of life."

"Why have my powers when I couldn't even save those I cared about?"

"You saved me."

Danny looked up from his lap, his eyes narrowed slightly at Valerie. Valerie slowly forced herself into a seating position. "You said so yourself--you didn't want to lose another person you cared about, and you saved me. You stopped those two ghosts from hurting me even worse. And that was without your ghost-powers, Danny. You could have done so much more if you still had them."

Danny was silent, studying Valerie for a few moments before looking away, one of his hands reaching for Valerie's. "But--if it weren't for my powers, I wouldn't have cheated on the test."

Sighing, Valerie looked away from Danny. "So you made one mistake that lead to a huge disaster. You can still learn from the mistake--if using your powers for self-gain only causes you to lose those things that are important to you, then don't use your powers for that reason," Valerie said simply. "You can learn from the pain, too, you know. Feeling the pain can make you stronger once you learn how to manage it."

"But--my ghost-half--it's in the thermos. It'll be hard getting it out of there and back into me--and I doubt Vlad would risk putting himself in danger again."

"I don't think anything I do now will be as dangerous as what we attempted last night," Vlad stated, walking into the room, his hands folded behind his back. "Ah, Miss Grey, you're awake."

Valerie nodded, sitting up straighter, hiding her wince. She didn't want to seem like she was in a lot of pain. "So you would put Danny's ghost-half back where it belongs?"

"I did not want to perform the--separation--to begin with," Vlad admitted. "I just didn't want to see Daniel so depressed."

Danny looked between the two of them before sighing. "But the pain--it was unbearable. I didn't know what to do with myself."

"I think you will know what to do with yourself,Daniel, once you are back in your home. I gave it a great deal of thought. You have no friends, here, and Miss Grey here has shown she cares about you a great deal," Vlad said softly, walking over to Danny and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Keeping you here has done nothing but prevent you from healing. In order to have a great apprentice, I need one who can put his mind to other things aside from wallowing in his own self-pity."

Danny half-smiled at that, which caused Valerie to smile herself. "Wait--he can come home? With me?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"I will be going with him, of course," Vlad said nonchalantly. "I am his legal guardian, after all. I can't just leave the boy in Amity Park by himself."

"I can take care of myself," Danny huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't need you there watching my every move and tinkering with Mom and Dad's stuff."

"My dear boy, I've probably seen everything inside of that lab, if I haven't already made it myself," Vlad muttered. "Jack was a moron. Maddie did all of the hard work..." there was a strange tone to Vlad's voice as he spoke.

Valerie raised an eyebrow at Vlad's tone, noticing Danny shake his head, muttering, "Don't ask," under his breath. At this, Valerie shrugged to herself before looking up at Vlad. "Can we give Danny back his ghost-half now."

"I believe that we should wait until after the two of you are fed, and that we should make sure you're well-enough to stand, Miss Grey," Vlad responded, studying her. "Your wounds were pretty nasty, I must say. You must have run into some trouble on your way here."

Valerie put a light hand on her damaged shoulder. "I was being careless," she muttered. "All I was thinking of going and rescuing Danny."

"As you can see, Danny is fine, considering he would have been much worse if you hadn't shown up in my lab when you did," Vlad said softly. "How did you know the portal was mine?"

"Football fans are easy to figure out," Valerie answered, smirking. The smirk disappeared as Valerie moved the sheets that were covering her, glad to see that she was fully clothed. Movement hurt, but she was determined to get out of bed. The sooner the three of them ate, the sooner Danny would be back to normal. She pushed herself off of the bed, relieved that her legs could support her. Her chest felt strange, her breathing still slightly compromised.

Once she was steady on her legs, Valerie motioned to the other two. "Let's go eat so we can get everything over with."

"I'll go tell the cook," Vlad muttered, sinking through the floor. Valerie stared at the place Vlad had stood, her mouth slightly open. Shaking her head, she turned to Danny, who was still sitting in his chair.

Danny's mouth was a thin line, and is arms were still crossed. "Why did you come after me?" he asked after a few moments, turning his head to stare up at Valerie. "You put yourself in danger."

"I wanted my friend back," Valerie responded, frowning. "I don't care if I'm putting myself in danger if it means helping out a friend--especially one I care about."

Danny nodded, slowly getting up from his chair. He walked over to Valerie, who was now half-way to do the door. As Valerie turned to see how close behind Danny was, Danny hugged her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered, pulling her even closer. "You have no idea how much that means to me. I thought--I thought everyone who cared about me was gone."

Valerie nodded, hugging Danny back, blushing slightly. "You know--I don't know if your emotions were removed."

"I don't feel anything but relief and happiness right now," Danny muttered, keeping his arms awkwardly around Valerie, blushing himself. "I remember how I felt--how much it hurt, but I don't actually feel it. I don't feel anything when I think of them."

Valerie nodded, unable to help but notice that Danny's hands were resting on her waist. "Well, I'm glad you're happy," she responded, moving closer to kiss Danny on the cheek. After that, the two pulled away from one another completely.

"Yeah, but...once my ghost-half is back, I'll be depressed again," Danny whispered, frowning.

"You'll only be depressed if you allow yourself to be depressed," Valerie responded, patting Danny awkwardly on the shoulder. "And you're going home, Danny. That's something to be happy about, right?"

"But they won't be there," Danny muttered, sighing. "Being there will remind me of them."

"But you'll have me. You can always talk to me, Danny. I'll always be there for you," Valerie said softly, smiling at him. "It's not like you'll be alone. Hell, I think even Vlad cares about you. He wants you to be happy, too, Danny--even if it is for his own twisted reasons."

Danny chuckled a bit at that before grabbing Valerie's hand, holding it tightly. "I think...I think everything will be okay, as long as you're there to help me, Valerie."

Valerie's smile only widened. She could only hope that Danny was right. Her physical wounds would heal in time, and so would Danny's emotional ones, as long as she was there to help him.


End file.
